Loyalties from the Side without Light
by LaDy MaRsHmALLoW
Summary: [ON TEMPORARY HIATUS...(I'm very sorry!)] He was a nobleman, evil and plain cruel. He was the noble's follower, an assassin trusted by the other to do his bidding. In a world veiled with darkness, deceit and lies, what role will something such as loyalty play in crafting a bond between two hearts devoid of light? (AU.) (Crack-pair.)
1. Prologue: Blocking the Light

**Title: **Loyalties from the Side without Light

**Summary: **He was a nobleman, evil and plain cruel. He was the noble's follower, an assassin trusted by the other to do his bidding. In a world veiled with darkness, deceit and lies, what role will something such as loyalty play in crafting a bond between two hearts devoid of light? (AU. Crack-pair.)

**Warning/s: **Yaoi (need I say more?), characters are pretty much out of it (yep, they're really OOC in here, it is in an AU after all), crack pair ahead, very, very slight violence and gore (Sorry, the sadist in me won the argument), a bit of language (I'm not really one to curse…much)

**Disclaimer: ** I disclaim. The characters I used here belong to their respective creator and I own nothing aside from the crazy plot of this tiny fanfic I wrote (or typed for the matter).

Right so let's get this running on the road. Enjoy!

x-o000o-x

**Prologue: **Blocking the Light

Pieces of gold rattled inside a tiny pouch as a bearded man shook it greedily, drowning himself in the sounds of his newly claimed fortune, his brown eyes glinting with joy like the jeweled ring upon his finger. The man's deep chuckle echoed within the four walls of the small carriage as he thought about how he had easily fooled the man whom the gold pieces originally belongs to.

"Does he really think I will do what he asked me to just because he gave me all these gold?" the man chuckled again, now playing with the tiny pieces of the precious metal, "What a very naïve _child_. Young people are so easily fooled."

His rejoicing, however, was halted by the sudden jolt of the carriage. "Watch where you're driving, you imbecile!" He shouted towards the one driving the carriage, expecting to hear a lame excuse such as accidentally hitting a bump in the road. But when no such thing happened and the only answer he got was silence—the kind of silence, so eerie, that it makes the hair at the back of your neck stand—he panicked. The gears inside his head begun to turn, run, his mind screamed. Being the panicked fool he was, he failed to see logic and as such, he left the carriage, or rather, the small sense of safety it offered, for now, at least. Despite his current state though, he remained greedy, not forgetting to grab the pouch filled with the tiny gold pieces. But as he stepped out of the horse-driven vehicle he saw a sight so horrible that he froze right where he stood, his blood running cold. There, his driver lie, bloody and lifeless, eyes still open, shock written all over it—a single deep slit upon his throat was what killed him mercilessly. The man gulped, he was in danger, that much he knew, from what, no _who _seems to be the right term, he had absolutely no idea. Though when he managed to regain his senses and turned to fled, it was already too late, for he found a cold metal pressed so closely near his throat, shocked, he dropped the small pouch, the fallen object creating a ringing sound that broke the eerie silence.

Then a voice, so low, so calm, so _terrifying, _"This is as far as you go."

And the man could clearly hear the tone of finality laced in that single statement. Heart hammering inside his chest, the man gulped audibly, daring to take a glimpse at the one who owns such fear-inducing voice. What he saw, however, was something he never expected. As he took in the appearance of the person holding the deadly blade, realization rapidly dawned on him, hitting him like a million brick wall falling from the sky. "You!" He exclaimed, "You're not hisbodyguard! You're an assassin working under _him_!"

Ignoring the man, the younger of the two spoke, "Do you honestly believe that my sire will let you off easily? He knew your plan. He knew what you were thinking. _You_ are the naïve one."

Fear was slowly, no rapidly, creeping up the man's veins, making his whole body shake with reasonable dread. And as the younger pushed the exceedingly sharp blade closer to the man's throat that it created a small cut, the bearded man tried his last resort, he begged. "N-no! Please…don't! I have a family! A wife…kids! P-please, have mercy and spare me!" Tears were already pooling on the corners of his eyes as he finished talking. He thought that maybe, him begging like a pathetic man would move the younger, but as he looked over the assassin, he knew his pleas had fallen to deaf ears, for his misty, fearful eyes only met cold, hardened ones. And before he could process what was going on, blood was already leaking out from the deep cut made upon his throat, what with the sword having easily slit it open, a sight that will surely cause those with a weak heart to faint.

The assassin, however, was not even the slightest bit deterred by the sight. His eyes remained emotionless as splatters and splatters of blood stained his hands, his clothes and his face. Then, he heard the familiar sound of footsteps approaching his way, and just like he had anticipated, he heard the voice of the one behind everything, a voice so soft and gentle that you would find it hard to believe what he was _really_ capable of.

"You did well. I have seen you work countless of times in the past, yet, you never cease to amaze me." The new comer said, the reality of his words could be detected from the tone of his voice.

The assassin picked up the forgotten gold-filled pouch, handing it to the person before him, who in turn took it gladly. "I'm merely doing what you asked me to." The assassin replied and for a moment, the other teen, no, _man_—his age may be that of a teen, but he had already grown up way beyond his years, both of them did—noticed the underlying tone of guilt in his follower's voice. The assassin, feeling ashamed of the showcase of his emotions averted his eyes, looking anywhere but the eyes of his sire.

The noble smiled, his hand moving to rest atop his follower's shoulder, "It is fine", he said, "There is nothing wrong about feeling guilty."

Hardening himself once again, the assassin spoke, "I have no time to wallow in something as trivial as my guilt. There are still a lot of people whose desire was to bring you down. My goal is to prevent them from ever harming you. If all of them had already been eliminated by me, when all of these are over, then that would be the time that I would let guilt consume me."

"Is that so? Then you will do my bidding once more?" The noble asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course, sire." The assassin replied, his eyes staring straight at the other. "You are the only _king_ I serve and will ever serve. Your enemy is my enemy." His words spoke volumes, showing the universe whom his loyalty belongs to.

"You are always so loyal." the noble replied as he traced his follower's bloodied face gently with his hand, "If that would be the case, then, when everything finally comes to an end, let me share your guilt and together, we would be consumed by it. You don't have to bear all the weight of your actions alone." These words, said by the noble, held the same meaning, making it clear to all that his loyalty towards the one in front of him was as fierce as the other's towards him. "Come; let us head back to my abode. You should clean up."

With that said, two figures—Dashan, a noble whose intentions were never to be taken lightly of and his most trusted follower, Kyoya, an assassin who would stop at nothing for his sire, two teens, no more than 17, forced to become men by the cruel world they were in—calmly walked away from the bloody scene, leaving dead bodies behind their wake.

Above them, drifting clouds blocked the light of the moon.

x-o000o-x

**A/N: **BEHOLD THE POWER OF BOREDOM! -insert evil laugh- (I wrote this during one of those agonizingly long discussion in class, in which despite of how long it was, still failed to make me understand a single thing.)

Ok, let's face the obvious; this is weird, really, really weird. I don't even know what got me to write this. Maybe it's because of the fact that Kyoya had been paired with nearly everyone but not with Dashan. And so, as a resolve to change that, I present you this! Though I have to say that for a moment ('for a moment' meaning like twenty times) I was really tempted to make this a Kyoya-x-Nile story, but I held on. (Must stick to the original plan of a crack-pair, namely DashKyo, which is hard, because, did these two ever interacted? And so, born is the AU.)

Also, I apologize for any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes (English is not my first language anyway).

Lastly, I'll try to update as soon as I can, though I'm not promising anything. (It seems to me that I can only write in my classes which have a very long discussion going on.)

So…uhm , if it's not too much to ask, please tell me what you think?

_Thank you so much for reading._


	2. 1: Consequences of a Broken Rule

**Title: **Loyalties from the Side without Light

**Warning/s: **Yaoi (need I say more?), characters are pretty much out of it (yep, they're really OOC in here, it is in an AU after all), crack pair ahead, very, very slight violence and gore (Sorry, the sadist in me won the argument), a bit of language (I'm not really one to curse…much)

**Disclaimer: ** I disclaim. The characters I used here belong to their respective creator and I own nothing aside from the crazy plot of this tiny fanfic I wrote (or typed for the matter).

x-o000o-x

**Thank You Corner!**

Before everything else, I'd like to thank the following people for their generous reviews:

~asininely

~Fallenbey

~dreamlily

~Lavender Rose of Faith

x-o000o-x

**Chapter 1: **Consequences of a Broken Rule

The sun had risen, lighting up the world below with its warm glow, greeting everyone with a promise of a beautiful day. Most of the people in the city were already awake, preparing themselves to face the new day, enjoying the feel of the sun's gentle rays bathing their forms. The sun's warm and wondrous beauty was clearly appreciated by almost everyone.

In a particular mansion however, within the four walls of a certain room recognized as the library, the sun's brightness was not allowed to shine. The dark drapes hanging over the glass windows blocked the sun's warm light with its dark color and thickness, making it obvious that the owner of the house was not really fond of the gigantic flaming ball, in fact, the only light inside the book-filled room was the slightly dim light produced by the lone chandelier hanging at the middle of the ceiling.

The mansion's owner, Dashan, was at the moment sitting comfortably in the relaxing cushioned chair inside the library, waiting for his servants to announce that the person he was supposed to meet that day had arrived. He was holding the daily newspaper lazily in front of his eyes, green orbs scanning the headline with an expression of utmost boredom. The noble's free hand, which was not holding the newspaper, was gently running through his _bodyguard_'s hair, absentmindedly playing with the wild yet soft dark green strands as Kyoya sat on the carpeted floor, his head resting comfortably on the noble's lap. The scene was undeniably peaceful, the pleasant silence not to mention the dim orange light from the crystal chandelier hitting the two relaxed figures added more effect to the serene atmosphere present within the place.

"The news today is not very interesting." The noble commented, his voice breaking the silence that had settled between him and his most trusted follower.

Blue eyes blinked as Kyoya lifted his head, glancing up at his sire with a questioning look, noticing that Dashan's hand was still toying gently with his hair. "Why is it not interesting to you?"

Dashan looked down to face Kyoya, his eyes revealing the fondness he had for the other. "It's about the assassination that happened a week ago." The noble replied, setting the newspaper down on top of the nearby desk, his other hand not leaving Kyoya's hair. "The headline said that the police was trying so hard to find a lead about the crime."

"It's no use trying." Kyoya told his sire in a low voice. "They should just give up. It's pointless. They would never find out who was behind everything"

Dashan smirked, "The _criminals_ made sure of that, did they not?"

"They always make sure of that." Kyoya replied with a hint of confidence, resting his head back on top of his sire's lap.

The noble merely nodded as he lightly threaded his fingers on Kyoya's silken strands, green eyes momentarily flicking over the open newspaper placed innocently atop the desk, the bold-faced font of the headline clearly readable from where he was seated. "But of course." He stated simply, leaning back on the chair as he waited for the arrival of his special guest.

x-o000o-x

It was a few hours later when both Dashan and Kyoya found themselves walking towards the main door of the mansion, prepared to greet their visitor who was just getting off his carriage. Once out of the carriage, their visitor, a nobleman from the south who looks to be about fifty years old or so, immediately approached Dashan.

"Good day, boy." The older man greeted, his black eyes shining with a hint of hidden mockery as he bowed down a bit, taking off his top hat only to have his graying hair revealed to the younger. "I apologize for being so late. I feel really bad for the delay in my arrival." The baron said in a voice that clearly shows he was not sorry at all, not even bothering to explain why his arrival had been delayed.

"Good day to you as well, sir." Dashan greeted back with faked politeness—an act that he had perfected years ago—ignoring the term used by the baron to address him, opting instead to just play along with the older noble. "You also do not have to apologize at all." He stated before adding, "However, if it makes you feel a little better, I accept your apology." The younger of the two said, his words having the same sincerity as the baron's apology.

Dashan exchanged a few more words of faked pleasantries with their visitor before inviting the other inside, taking note of how relived the older man looked now that he would soon be safe from the sun's rays. The young noble then led the baron towards the direction of the library, momentarily stopping to ask one of his servants to bring them something to drink before walking once more. Not paying attention to the baron's continuous blabbering, Dashan glanced behind him, looking over to where his bodyguard was walking silently and observing their guest in a manner so unobtrusive. And based from the calculating and wary look present upon Kyoya's cornflower blue eyes, the younger noble knew that Kyoya already had his senses on full alert, ready for everything and anything that may even remotely threaten his safety and him in general. Dashan let out a discreet smile, silently appreciating all the things Kyoya had been doing and was still doing for him, his mind venturing to the thought that maybe he didn't need his own sword anymore. The young noble purposely halted his thoughts upon realizing that they have already reached their destination, holding the heavy door of the library open for the baron in a show of false courteousness.

Once inside the library, the baron didn't even bother to wait for the younger noble to offer him a seat as he immediately took one on the luxurious cushioned chair, instantly crossing his legs in an arrogant manner. Dashan raised an elegant eyebrow, obviously displeased with the baron's action, noticing that Kyoya was in the same boat as he was. However, despite of his displeasure, the green-eyed noble opted to remain silent, taking his own seat across the baron in a much more refined way. Right after both noble was seated, they began their conversation, exchanging their wide knowledge about politics. From where he stood behind his sire, Kyoya listened, watching as Dashan attempted to make the older nobleman extremely comfortable before he finally got to the real point of why he had invited the baron in the first place. So far, the blue-eyed man noted, Dashan's tactic was working rather smoothly; the baron was starting to lower his guard down, relaxing in the presence of the younger as they joked around.

Their _friendly _conversation, however, was cut off by the sudden knock on the library's door followed by the maid's voice asking for permission to enter, something that the younger noble granted without a second thought. Upon entering, the maid hurriedly placed two cups, one filled with coffee and the other with tea, on top of the center table. After setting down the plate that holds the best kind of pastry, the maid gave a low bow before heading out. And once the maid left, the baron uttered something that caused Dashan's eyes to transform into something akin to sharp daggers.

"So lad, where did you find that boy behind you?" The baron inquired taking a sip of the hot beverage, his voice laced with both the tone of interest and jesting as he gestured over to where Kyoya stood. "Did you buy him from one of those filthy slave markets where most nobles got their _toys_?" He continued to speak, failing to notice the sudden shift in the younger's posture as he placed the porcelain cup of coffee back on the table. "He's such a beauty too. Maybe you could give him to me when you finally get tired of _playing_ with him. I bet he will be a really nice toy." The baron added, as he leered at Kyoya, taking in the blue-eyed man's appearance from head to toe. "I'll even pay you a hundred gold pieces, if you would like." The older of the two offered, coaxing Dashan to agree with his bargain, making it obvious that he really was interested in making the green haired man one of his playthings. "How does that sound?"

The baron was answered by a cold, sharp metal placed threateningly near his throat; Dashan's angered form dangerously looming over him. The older man swallowed thickly, wondering what kind of host would point a sword on the throat of their guest. The baron was really surprised at the sudden aggressiveness the younger acquired. He couldn't put into place how someone so calm can turn into something so terrifying. However, the baron was not the only one who was shocked at Dashan's action. Kyoya was surprised as well; however, his astonishment was more inclined towards Dashan drawing out his sword for the first time than on the fact that his sire actually threatened their visitor, throwing everything he did to get the other comfortable out of the window. Sure, Dashan always had his sword with him, but this was the first time since _that_ incident that the metal blade left its sheath.

"How does my sword cutting open your throat sound to you?" Dashan asked coldly, his voice deadly and hostile as he stared down at the frightened baron. He was trying his hardest to be patient with the baron and not do anything towards the older but he finally had enough. No one, _absolutely no one_, was allowed to talk about Kyoya like that much less look at him in such a manner, not in front of Dashan, _especially_ not in front of Dashan. It was the unspoken rule that had been established in the mansion after the last person who had said the same thing about Kyoya had been kicked out of the house, quite literally too. Dashan's blood boiled in range, ready to show his guest what could, no, _would _happen to anyone who dares to talk about Kyoya like he was some kind of plaything. It may be true that the baron was a guest in the mansion and for the same reason, he totally had no idea that such a rule exist inside the walls of the mansion, thus he was supposed to be exempted from the consequences of his words, however, Dashan was never one to give exemptions nor considerations.

"H-hey… I was only jesting!" The older man said hastily, trying to make amends with the clearly ticked off noble as he tried to push the sword away from his throat, letting out a nervous laugh.

"Is that really the truth?" Dashan inquired, pushing his sword forward some more, his voice remaining in its menacing state. "Because I was fairly certain that you sounded so serious just a few minutes ago."

"It's true!" The baron squeaked, silently taking note to never speak lasciviously about the green-haired youth again. "I was joking. I'm so sorry if I offended you." The older apologized, this time, he actually sounded sincere as he noticed Dashan's already narrowed eyes narrow some more.

Dashan, feeling disgust towards the pathetic acts of the baron, moved his sword away from the older man, deciding that the carpet was too expensive to have the baron's blood spilled on it. His green eyes remained dangerous looking though, not even looking away from the baron as he sheathed the deadly blade. "Let this be a reminder to you, I never take any joke, no matter how light, about my most trusted companion flippantly." Dashan's statement was laced with venom, daring the baron to try his patience once more.

Still nervous, the baron shrunk further on his seat, as if doing so would save him from the boy, _monster_ before him. "I u-understand, my joke was out of line. Forgive me."

Then, Dashan did something that astonished the baron, so much that he gaped like a goldfish. The young noble smiled…innocently. The murderous look upon his eyes was nowhere to be found, replaced by some sort of unexplainable gleefulness. "Good." The younger said as his smile grew bigger. "Now that you understand, we should probably start talking about the real reason why I invited you here." Dashan declared, walking back towards his own seat before sitting down with a kind of gracefulness only he possesses, his eyes not forgetting to take a glimpse at Kyoya who was looking at him with gratefulness. To be completely honest, Dashan wanted to tell Kyoya that there was no need for him to be grateful, that he wouldn't allow anyone to say awful things towards the blue-eyed man. But Dashan was aware that doing so would reveal _way too much, _and he couldn't risk that, at least not in front of a potential enemy. So instead the young noble focused his attention to the still shaking baron. "I'll get straight to the point with you now. I no longer intend to lengthen our conversation further, for if I do, I'm afraid that I'll die of boredom and that wouldn't be so pleasant, would it?" Dashan stated, his eyes staring straight at the baron. "The real reason why I asked for your presence is because I want a favor from you."

"A favor?" The baron questioned, sounding as if he had heard it wrong. "What favor?"

"I'm fairly certain it's not something you cannot handle." Dashan begun, reaching over to where his tea cup was placed. "I just want you to gather information about _him."_

"Him?" The baron tilted his head slightly, suddenly becoming guarded, a change that Dashan didn't fail to miss. "Who are you—"

"Do not play dumb." Dashan cut off the baron's question sharply, his eyes narrowing once again. "You and I are both aware that you perfectly know who I was talking about. You are, after all, one of his dogs."

"I really have no idea who you are talking about!" The elder spoke loudly, trying his best to convince Dashan.

With a blank face, Dashan tossed a small pouch in front of the baron, the tiny bag producing a clinking sound upon connecting with the table. "A hundred gold pieces as a down payment for the favor I'm asking you." The young noble begun, watching the conflicting emotions flashing within the eyes of the older man, confident that the baron wouldn't be able to resist his offer. "Do what I'm asking you to do and I'll double it, triple even if I'm pleased enough."

Greedily the baron grabbed the pouch, holding it possessively to his chest. "I'll do it!" He suddenly exclaimed, not even looking at Dashan anymore, his whole attention was already stolen by the small bag.

Kyoya was observing the exchange between his sire and the other noble, noting the familiar look his sire's green eyes suddenly acquired. Kyoya sighed, shaking his head a bit; the baron's days were numbered. He just knew it. And his thoughts were proven right when he saw Dashan's lips curved up into a smirk he knew so well, a smirk that clearly conveys how someone's blood will be spilled soon.

A while later, the baron finally said his goodbye before hurrying out of the room, almost skipping out of the library as he held the pouch tightly. Once Kyoya deemed the baron far enough, he finally spoke.

"When?" Kyoya asked his sire, not even bothering to elaborate, knowing full well that Dashan knew what he meant.

"Tonight. He's useless, that much I can tell. He wouldn't be of any help." The young noble answered flatly. "I could not believe I wasted so much time with someone who was no good." Dashan shook his head with distaste, the tone of his voice laced with anger. "Someone like him does not deserve to see the light of the day." He declared, still fuming inwardly from what the baron had previously said about Kyoya. "He had broken one of the two unspoken rules I have created. No one gets away from breaking any of my rules. People who talks about you like you're some kind of disposable toy was not allowed to continue living in this world." The noble added in a whisper, his hands reaching out to carefully pull Kyoya towards him.

Kyoya let out a soft, contented smile as he was pulled to sit on Dashan's lap. "Thank you." He mumbled quietly, leaning back on the warmth that was his sire.

"Don't mention it." The noble replied with the same low volume, encircling his arms around the form of the other, both of them anticipating another blood-filled night.

x-o000o-x

**A/N: **…Okay… that was really hard to write -sweat drops-… (Please tell me I'm not digging my own grave by writing about this pairing.) I really tried to make the scenes between Dashan and Kyoya—which was very limited—work and be somewhat sweet... (I hope I did alright) Oh, and for the record Dashan and Kyoya are not together in here…yet…but they kind of act like they are, don't they?

Anyway, I once again apologize for any grammar mistakes and spelling errors that you've encountered.

Uhm… tell me how I did?

_Thank you for reading and until next time!_


	3. 2: Reminiscing Once Upon a Time

**Title: **Loyalties from the Side without Light

**Warning/s: **Yaoi (need I say more?), characters are pretty much out of it (yep, they're really OOC in here, it is in an AU after all), crack pair ahead, slight violence and gore (Sorry, the sadist in me won the argument), a bit of language (I'm not really one to curse…much)

**Disclaimer: ** I disclaim. The characters I used here belong to their respective creator and I own nothing aside from the crazy plot of this tiny fanfic I wrote (or typed for the matter).

x-o000o-x

**Thank You Corner!**

Before everything else, I'd like to thank the following people for their generous reviews:

~Fallenbey

~wolfy

x-o000o-x

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Right so let's get this running on the road. Enjoy!

x-o000o-x

**Chapter 2: **Reminiscing Once Upon a Time

Two figures, a nobleman and an assassin, walked side by side on the stony path of the mansion's verdant garden, lush green bushes were on either side of the path they were trudging upon. The aromatic smell of the newly bloomed roses was present in the air, complementing the soft rays of sunlight shining down on them as gentle winds pass by occasionally. The two young men were simply walking; no words were being exchanged between them, as a matter of fact, the only sound present were the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves and the sound of their boots tapping on the ground as they walked. Everything remained as such for a few more moments until Dashan spoke up, stopping as he did so, Kyoya doing the same.

"Do you still remember Kyoya," Dashan begun as he reached for the lone rose closest to where he stood, "When you were first brought here?" Mindful of the thorns, the noble plucked the flower from its parent plant, studying it.

Kyoya's breath hitched at the sudden question, he never expected it to be brought up and for that reason, the only answer he could give was a nod. Of course he remembered it, how could he not? It was the only pleasant memory left etched in his mind anyway. Surely, he would never forget that time, it was, after all, the only proof that he and Dashan had once been kids—playful, happy, innocent—before everything changed.

_The nine year old Kyoya sat on the plush seat of the elegantly designed carriage driven by two proud black steeds. The man sitting across from him, a butler serving a rich family, was telling him the reason as to why on that very day, he was taken away from their worn down wooden hut as well as explaining to him why he was inside that carriage in the first place. Despite his anxiety, the young boy listened intently, finding out from the older man that he was to become a servant to a noble family for his father had sold him to the same family for fifty silver pieces. After hearing that, the young boy immediately went rigid. He had once heard from their neighbors that nobles are always cruel to their servants, and as such, the comfortable cushioned seat suddenly felt like stone to him. He became hyper-aware of even the smallest bumps and jolts the carriage encountered throughout their journey._

_Few agonizingly long hours later, the carriage came to a halt in front of a huge mansion and Kyoya couldn't help but gulp, a single thought entering his mind. This is it, his young brain conveyed as widened blue eyes took in the appearance of three magnificently clad nobles, his new owners, the butler told him, waiting for them by the mansion's grand door. However, all of Kyoya's fears, dissipated almost instantly, as if it never existed in the first place, as he saw the gentle, welcoming and warm expressions present on the faces of the family he was going to work for. Staring at the knowledge-filled eyes of the nobleman, the sweet, motherly smile of the pretty noblewoman and the wide, friendly, excited grin of the couple's son, Kyoya thought that maybe, the mansion was the place where he really should be. He thought that maybe, he had finally found it, his new home._

Dashan stopped toying with the thorn-covered plant held between his fingers as he glanced at Kyoya, noticing the faraway look present on the assassin's blue eyes. The noble didn't say a word, he simply remained silent, not even commenting on how unguarded the other was at the moment. Dashan knew that look, he knew what Kyoya was thinking, he knew how nostalgic the assassin was feeling, because he too was remembering; all the images from not so long ago, all the memories of the childhood he had lost so easily.

_Two ten year old boys were crouched closely together under the long, polished mahogany kitchen table; hands were covering both of their mouths, stifling the laughter building up within them. With mischievous glinting eyes, Dashan and Kyoya counted silently as they realized that the moment they were waiting for was drawing near._

_Three._

_The heavy footsteps of the stout and equally heavy cook echoed from the hallways as he approached the kitchen. The man's voice, deep and round, almost as round as his belly, could be heard clearly as he chatted with one of the maids._

_Two._

_Both Dashan and Kyoya have to bite their lips to keep themselves from laughing and ruining the, oh, so perfect plan. Blue and green eyes watched expectantly as the heavy kitchen doors creaked open, causing the well positioned breakable material that held the object of doom to stretch._

_One._

_The cook pushed open the door, ready to greet whoever was in the kitchen when seemingly out of nowhere, a bag of flour catapulted towards him, hitting his face with such a force that it managed to knock him down, covering his face and upper body with the powdery substance—just exactly as planned by two very naughty boys. Seeing the chubby cook covered in flour and looking like a newly marinated pork, the boys couldn't hold back their laughter much longer. The sound started off as fits of giggles until, eventually, it transformed into bouts of full-blown jovial laughter. The cook's face, after hearing the laughter, turned red, both in anger and embarrassment, eyes twitching as a menacing aura formed around him. _

_Moments later, the young noble and his closest companion were already running around every turns and corners of the mansion, a very angry cook hot on their heels, laughing merrily as they dodged the flying tomatoes and cabbages being thrown their way, courtesy of a certain furious, flour-covered pork…man._

"Fate is a cruel mistress, isn't she?" The noble questioned, handing the flower to his companion. Kyoya took it, noticing that his sire had removed the thorns. He, however, did not bother to contradict the statement his sire had said. Fate is cruel indeed, and both he and Dashan knew how much from firsthand experience.

_The sky was dark, covered with heavy gray clouds as the sky cried, mourning together with the many black clad figures gathered around two elegantly carved coffins. Amongst these many people were Dashan and Kyoya, two ten year old boys, witnesses to a brutal crime that happened one fateful night—the assassination of Dashan's parents. Within the mourning crowd, the two young boys stood side by side in silence, remaining as such—Dashan with his head bowed down, fist clenched tightly, and Kyoya's whose eyes were focused solely on the grieving boy—even after those who attended the funeral left one by one, offering their condolences to the newly orphaned boy. Nothing was said between the two boys as the rain continued to pour down on them harshly, the gloomy atmosphere intensifying the feeling of grief weighing their chests._

_Both boys could still remember how, two nights ago, everything was going well. They could still remember how pleasant the night had been, how it should have been. There were dancing and singing, even drinking, as everyone in the mansion celebrated the engagement of the mansion's gardener to one of the maids. But then, in the middle of the happy gathering, a loud crash was heard from somewhere within the mansion and before both boys could comprehend what was going on, they were already being pushed into a secret hiding place. There, they noticed that the singing had been replaced by loud yelling, the dancing by rushed, panicked running. Within their hiding place, Dashan and Kyoya found themselves watching in horror as a lone masked man run his sword through the chest of the nobleman, their blood running cold as they saw the sweet noblewoman fall on the ground with a sickening thud, her life long gone from the deep slit along her neck. And then, just like that, it was all over. The masked man was gone, Dashan's parents and many others in the mansion, dead. With tearful eyes and shaky footsteps, the now orphaned boy approached the lifeless bodies of his parents, Kyoya following closely behind, both wondering who would want such nice people dead._

_Now, standing before the coffins enclosing the bodies of the deceased nobles, Kyoya observed as Dashan slowly took something out of his pocket, the small, gold-crusted emblem becoming visible to his eyes. Blue orbs narrowed in anger at the small, seemingly innocent object lying on the palm of the other boy's hand. That small golden object, that one tiny piece of metal is the thing that gave them the answer of who their real enemy was. The carelessness of the assassin who killed the other boy's parents led him into dropping an evidence so recognizable, giving the two boys a rather certain inkling as to who they should look out for._

"_I'll destroy him." Dashan vowed, clenching his fingers around the small metal piece as his once cheerful, vibrant eyes became hard and cold, all of its warmth gone. His childish innocence had vanished as well, green eyes now reflecting the eyes of someone who had seen both the good and the evil of the world and its people. The young boy Kyoya adored was gone, replaced by a man who is out for revenge. And because Dashan had already grown up, Kyoya did too. The noble might be an adult now, but Kyoya knew the other still needed someone beside him, and he, of course, was very much willing to be that someone. The blue-eyed boy knew that in order for him to become that someone, in order for him to be able to walk the same dark path Dashan had chosen to trudge upon, he had to stop being a kid. And stop, he did._

"_No, we'll destroy him. Both of us." Kyoya stated firmly. "I'll be with you every step of the way."_

_They were only ten years old and yet, they were no longer kids. They were adults now, men not boys._

"Back then," The noble's voice brought the young assassin out of his memory lane, only to be forced back in by his sire's next question, "What did you feel when you…" Dashan paused, wondering if he should continue his question or not before deciding that he wanted to know Kyoya's answer. "…killed for the first time?" He finished.

Kyoya merely stared at the rose in his hand, thinking back at the time when his hands had first been stained by the same color the flower's velvety petals possess, a color he had grown accustomed to through the years. The assassin thought about how he felt back then, realizing that there was something missing, something that should've been there but wasn't. Back then, he felt…nothing.

_Both boys had already experienced one life altering event, however, the thing that had completely changed them transpired two years later, when the orphaned noble and Kyoya were twelve years old._

_The moon was dim that night, everything was silent. There was no wind to make the leaves rustle, nor was there any chirping sound from the crickets. It was absolutely unsettling, as if everything was preparing for something dreadful that was about to come. And come it did._

_The same black clad man had returned, his mind set on finishing a task that should have been completed two years ago. The stealthy masked man was out to kill once again, this time; he was out for Dashan's blood. Creeping silently, the man managed to enter the young noble's room, blending with the shadows expertly, something he had perfected over the years. Now, inside the spacious room, the assassin approached the bed, his eyes taking in the peaceful face of the sleeping twelve year old. Without wasting a moment, the man brought his hands down the sleeping figure's throat, effectively choking the younger as a sinister smirk hidden by the mask, spread upon his dry, chapped lips. The assassin's cruel black heart was filled with glee watching as his victim's eyes flew open at the sudden pressure placed upon his neck._

_Dashan brought his smaller hands over the man's larger ones, trying desperately to pry off the hands cutting his air supply. The young noble struggled hard; his tinier frame however, did nothing to shake the much bulkier form of the assassin. The hands wrapped around his neck tightened further and Dashan begun to gasp for air, growing weaker and weaker by the moment._

_The assassin with his large hands wrapped around Dashan's neck was the scene Kyoya—who immediately rushed to the young noble's room after hearing weird noises from said place—came upon as he pushed the wooden door open. The green haired boy stopped dead in his tracks, blue eyes widening as he watched Dashan struggling for air. His mind was shouting at him, telling him to move and come to the aid of the other boy. But despite of how much he wanted to rush to the other boy's side and do something, fear had already succeeded in rendering him motionless. Just then, Kyoya heard the rather loud gasp from Dashan drifting into his ears, the noble's face was already starting to lose its color, going pale from the lack of the precious element known as air. Then, out of the blue, Kyoya forgot that he was frightened, his body moving without his consent as his hand deftly darted to grab the sword displayed on the wall, a weapon the assassin obviously missed. With a solid, renewed will, Kyoya thrust the sharp blade upon the man's back, making sure to run the blade through the assassin's chest._

_The assassin, who was so caught up in the adrenaline of being able to kill once more, failed to realize Kyoya's presence until it was too late. With wide, shock-filled eyes the assassin let go of Dashan, looking down with a horrified expression at the pointed tip of the sword protruding from his chest. Blood spilled from his lips as he choked on air one last time before falling dramatically on the floor with a loud thud, his life, gone._

_Dashan sat up, rubbing his neck to soothe the burning sensation it acquired from the man's tight grip, his green eyes trained solely on Kyoya. The boy's blue eyes were hidden by his wild green hair as he stared down on his blood soaked hands. _

_Moments later, Kyoya looked up, focusing his gaze on Dashan. "He's dead." He muttered the obvious conclusion in a monotonous voice, his bright blue eyes dull and void of everything. "I killed him." Kyoya finally declared as slowly, his lips curved up to form a smile._

Frowning down at the plant held delicately in his hand, Kyoya conveyed his answer to the noble's inquiry. "I felt nothing." He said before adding, "And it shall remain as such. I cannot allow myself to feel anything towards our enemies, at least not yet."

Dashan smiled softly, once again picking a fully bloomed rose from a certain bush before bringing the flower close to his nose, inhaling the relaxing sweet scent of the flower. "No." Dashan begun, agreeing with Kyoya's statement. "Not yet." Green eyes narrowed dangerously, "But soon…soon _he_ will fall and be brought down. First his allies and finally him." The noble's voice was resolute, his angry gaze directed towards the innocent plant. "I will destroy him and everything he has until there was nothing left of him. I will make him regret that he ever thought of making me his enemy." The black haired man stated firmly, crushing the flower in the palms of his hand before letting it fall to the ground.

"I'm certain you will." The young assassin spoke, watching raptly as the crushed flower shatter even further after hitting the stony ground.

_Once upon a time, Dashan and Kyoya lived in a dream, inside a wonderland where everything was perfect, just as they wanted it to be. Once upon a time they have been clueless and naïve, until one day, their life, full of rainbows and sparkles had been subjected to a horrible change. And for the first time, they were forced out of their wonderland, for the first time they forced to face fate's cruelty and reality's harshness. Once upon a time, a fairy tale had been shattered._

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**A/N: **...Hmmm… I wonder who this 'he' person is…aren't you curious too? And…uhm sorry if this chapter is mostly composed of flashbacks about Dashan and Kyoya's past, I just figured out that I should at least show how our dear noble and assassin became the kind of person they are in the present.(I tried to make it as interesting as possible too. I just hope I was able to do what I'm aiming for.)

Also, I'm still trying to figure out who else would appear in this story.(Though I already have two characters that would surely appear in the next few chapters…I'm just not sure what chapter exactly…Am I even making sense?)

And as always, please forgive me for any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes you've encountered somewhere in this chapter.

And because it's Valentine's Day… I'll give you a tiny sneak peek of the next chapter…here it goes…

~_Something unexpected happened, someone's façade was broken and a strong, unbreakable bond has finally been forged._ ~

…Yep…that's all…not enough?... I did say tiny sneak peek, though…but then again, its Valentine's Day…so…

**Sneak Peak!**

_ Dashan's eyes were blank, frighteningly dull as he used his sword to cut the man's chest, one slash after another, each attack only having an interval of a second or two before being followed by another much deeper one. The young noble looked like he was a completely different person, as if the only emotion he knew was anger, which was at the moment not far from the truth. The lone thought running inside his mind was to kill; every movement of his sword on the man's body was followed by mumbled statements of how it wasn't enough to satisfy him._

_A slash, "Not yet."_

_Another one, "Still not enough."_

_And another, "One more."_

_The young noble's whispered words were repeated over and over again until it started to sound like a repetitive chant. ~_

Please tell me what you think? I'd really appreciate it if you do.

Thank you for reading and Happy Valentine's Day again!


	4. 3A: Of Broken Facades and Beating Hearts

**Title: **Loyalties from the Side without Light

**Warning/s: **Yaoi (need I say more?), characters are pretty much out of it (yep, they're really OOC in here, it is in an AU after all), crack pair ahead, violence and gore (Sorry, the sadist in me won the argument), a bit of language (I'm not really one to curse…much)

**Disclaimer: ** I disclaim. The characters I used here belong to their respective creator and I own nothing aside from the crazy plot of this tiny fanfic I wrote (or typed for the matter).

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**Thank You Corner!**

I would like to thank Fallenbey for the review on the previous chapter, I really appreciate it and I hope that you won't get tired of reading and reviewing this fanfic. (Though I somehow feel kind of sad that I only got one review… T.T)

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Right so let's get this running on the road. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 3: **Of Broken Façades and Beating Hearts (Part 1)

Hidden by the darkness of the night, two silent figures waited for their victim to show himself, watching intently for any signs of the man they were about to kill, resembling a stealthy predator ready to pounce on its prey. Strong confidence could be detected radiating from both figures, the feeling of certainty dominating the air surrounding them. Their plan was fool-proof, it always was, its simplicity leaving no room for failure. Tonight would be an easy kill; that they were sure of. All they have to do was to catch their victim off guard and voila, their unsuspecting target would be dead before he could even blink.

A few more minutes of waiting in the dark, their patience finally paid off as the carriage of their newest victim came to view.

"Ready?" Dashan asked in a whisper, the single worded question being the first word he had uttered that night,

Kyoya nodded without a word, his hand moving to grab the handle of his sword slung on the side of his hip. Dashan smirked; one of _his_ dogs would once again end up as the lion's prey, he was sure of it.

Fate, however, seemed to have an entirely different plan that night.

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The earl, whose name was deemed unnecessary, sat inside his carriage nervously. The presence of his hired bodyguard did nothing to assuage his uneasiness. The earl was paranoid, he had been ever since he met and had a talk with one of the youngest nobleman—Dashan, his name was. Inside his mind, the earl knew he had every reason to be paranoid, the young noble was the person his friend, the baron, last talked to before he was found dead in an alleyway. And ever since the day he had a conversation with the younger, the earl had felt as if there was something coming fast towards him and it was dreadful. The only thing that could describe how he feel was as if the god of death was just around the corner, ready to severe the thread that ties his soul to the world of the living and it was absolutely horrifying. Such feelings forced the earl to hire the best underground fighter in their place to serve as his bodyguard, and somehow it helped.

That particular night however, the earl felt more scared than ever, it was like the one thing that he fears the most was already at an arm's length, a distance too close for the earl's comfort. Because of his fear, the earl would shriek every once in a while, letting out a frightened sound at almost every bump on the road. One particularly deafening shriek later and the earl's bodyguard finally spoke.

"Sir, why don't you try and relax." The bodyguard, whose name was once again unnecessary, said, trying to calm the trembling man down. "Nothing's going to happen."

The cowardly earl was about to answer when the carriage abruptly halted, nearly making him fall out of his seat. The bulky fighter muttered a string of curses, quickly grabbing the huge metal hammer, his weapon of choice, sitting beside him. "Stay here sir. I'll check what's going on outside." He declared in a gruff voice hurrying outside the carriage. Once his feet hit the ground, he saw their driver's body lying motionless on the ground, killed by a small knife embedded deeply on his chest, noticing also that their horses was nowhere to be found. Unmoved by the sight, the bald fighter smirked, feeling the excitement rush through his veins. It had been a while since he last had a life-risking fight so his eyes glinted evilly at the promise of having a wonderful battle with someone strong and ruthless enough to kill an innocent man by a single tiny knife. "Come on out, kitty." The man sneered, turning his head towards Kyoya's hiding place. "I know you're there."

From within the shadows, Kyoya slowly took a step forward, eyes blazing with the flames of confidence, the strength he possesses was clearly apparent from the piercing gaze his eyes held, the deadly pools of blue conveying the warning of his readiness to fight and kill.

The man was honestly surprised to see someone so young having such deadly looking eyes. Shocked he may be, the older man was never one to back down and as such he pushed his astonishment away, smirking as he did so whilst his eyes narrowed into slits. He was as ready to kill as his young opponent.

The wind, sensing the hostility between the two, became chilly all of a sudden, preparing to complete the effects of the deadly duel that was about to transpire.

From where Dashan remains hidden, the sudden chill seemed to be a little too cold for his liking. The young noble shivered a bit, his hand moving to the sword slung around his hip, an unexplainable dreadful feeling slowly crept up in his veins, making his grip on his weapon tighter. Something was about to happen, something he was sure he wouldn't find pleasing.

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Time ticked as the minutes passed, though the earl's hired bodyguard and Kyoya remained unmoving, simply standing in front of each other, trying to stare down the other. Both of them seemed to be calculating what their opponent was capable of before making a move.

Finally, the earl's bodyguard lost his patience and he dashed forward, a loud battle cry escaping his lips. Once he neared his opponent, he forcefully swung his massive weapon in all directions—up, down, left, right—in a speed no one would thought his huge muscled and seemingly heavy form was capable of achieving. Kyoya remained calm though, simply dodging every swing of the massive hammer with perfect agility, his sword remained undrawn as his eyes showed boredom.

The bigger male seethed, how dare this kid mock his abilities by not taking out his weapon. Oh, he would show this brat, the fighter thought; he would show that the champion amongst the underground fighters was never to be taken lightly. He would show his opponent that he should never ever be mocked by some little kid.

Changing tactics, the angered fighter started using the other parts of his body; one swing from his weapon was immediately followed by his fist then backed-up with a rather powerful kick. Kyoya hissed, stumbling a bit as he barely dodged the attack. The man smirked, noticing the momentary distraction of the younger, quickly bringing down his metal weapon as he took advantage of the situation. Kyoya, however, was still faster, maneuvering his body to regain his footing at the same time drawing out his sword to block the attack. The man cursed, jumping back to ready himself for what was coming next. Glaring daggers at the younger, he lunged forward again, Kyoya meeting him halfway. Their weapons clashed, both metals creating a rhythmic clanking sound every time it made contact with the other. Their clothes fluttered every now and then, creating a blur of colors in the dark night as they moved in a fast motion.

The scene remained unchanging for a while until Kyoya, with one swift step to the side, managed to injure his opponent, his sharp untarnished weapon cutting the bigger man's shoulder open, making it bleed rather strongly. The man glowered at Kyoya, realizing that the wound on his shoulder was deep, the injury seeming to make his already heavy weapon heavier. The underground fighter knew he needed to do something, and that he needed to do it fast. He was actually starting to get tired, as a matter of fact, he was already having trouble in trying to keep up with the brat, a very unoriginal title he gave the younger. Noticing his opponent's distraction, Kyoya quickly shifted to deliver a heavy blow on the injured arm of his opponent, swing the dull side of his sword upward, knocking the metal hammer out of the man's hand. The heavy object created a really loud sound as it hit the ground, almost denting the flat surface. Wasting no time, Kyoya kicked the man's feet, the strength of the force used by the green haired male, coupled by the larger man's inability to dodge, caused the older man to lose his balance and stumble forward. Another painful kick upon his back and the bigger man fell on his knees, his instincts kicking in as he used his arms to avoid falling down completely.

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From inside the carriage, the earl gasped, unable to believe what he just saw. Instantly, he knew that the kid his bodyguard was faced against is no ordinary youth, concluding that the boy was bad news.

On the other hand, Dashan couldn't help but feel proud of Kyoya, his follower's robust training paid off greatly. However, Dashan knew that he shouldn't rejoice just yet, Kyoya's adversary seemed to still have another trick up his sleeve, after all, underground fighters are known to do whatever it takes for them to win.

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The older gritted his teeth as he felt his foe's sword pressed over his neck, the younger's face conveying no emotion at all. Without his trusted weapon, the man decided that it was time to use his second plan. Slowly, he reached for his pocket to retrieve his flick blade, a weapon he could use as expertly as his metal hammer. But then, his fingers brushed against something cotton like within his pocket, his eyes widened for a millisecond before his lips curved to form an evil smirk. His eyes glinted dangerously as he realized there would be a slight change in his plan.

Kyoya's eyes narrowed as he suddenly became wary, feeling a shift in the other man's demeanor. Slowly, he raised his sword, ready to deliver the final blow when the man's hand shot up immediately. Kyoya tried to jump back, but the action was a little over a second too late. The man had released some powdered substance for Kyoya to inhale and before the younger could do anything he had already taken some of it in. The pulverized chemical was scentless, however, Kyoya suddenly felt his eyes water before he started coughing uncontrollably.

The underground fighter laughed, his laughter resembling that of a maniacally psychotic scientist who had just discovered a way to control the minds of every living thing in the universe. The man stood up from where he was kneeling, his hand moving rapidly to punch the younger in the stomach.

Kyoya tried to dodge the punch but he realized that his body couldn't move. The punch hit its target and Kyoya doubled over, wondering why the punch seemed to hurt more than it should. Although he was unable to find an answer to his question for the man kneed him on the same spot where the punch came in contact earlier. The second attack was what caused Kyoya to land on the solid ground with a thud, groaning lowly in pain as he did so.

The man then moved to stand beside the spot where Kyoya lie, an irritating smile present upon his lips. "Can't move now, can you?" The man mocked, looking down at Kyoya's glaring face. "The powder you inhaled just a few seconds ago was made from some rare plant." The man begun to explain, his eyes acquiring a look that clearly shows he was making fun of the younger. "It causes you to be paralyzed for some time. Don't worry though, the effects wouldn't last long. Just long enough for me to make you suffer and then kill you." He then kicked Kyoya on the side, making the assassin bite back a yelp of pain. "Oh, did I mention that aside from rendering you paralyzed, it also had the ability to trick your brain into thinking that the pain your body receives was ten times worse than it originally was. Amazing isn't it?" He then kneeled down beside Kyoya, pulling out a flick blade from one of his pockets; the sharp metal caught the, light of the moon, making it glint. "Now, what should I do with you before I end your pathetic life?" The man wondered aloud, playing with the flick blade to emphasize every word he had said.

Kyoya made his anger evident through his eyes, unable to believe that the older man couldn't even fight fairly. What a coward, Kyoya thought darkly, his mind was starting to overload, flooding with ways on how he would kill the other, interrupted only when the man exclaimed something excitedly.

"I know!" The man grinned widely, turning the blade in his hand around to examine it. "I don't like your face, it's too pretty. I hate everything that's even remotely pretty." Of course the man had every right to despise anything that's pretty, what with the various scars scattered around his face, surely no one who looks as such would find a pretty person appealing. "Now then…" The man leaned forward a bit, bringing the flick blade on his opponent's face, trailing it lightly along Kyoya's cheeks.

Kyoya's eyes narrowed as the cold metal came in contact with his skin; he was actually thinking of giving the older man a very nice kick where it would _really_ hurt, in fact, he might just do that if he could move.

"Because I hate your pretty face, I'll take the initiative and destroy it. Also, I would be much more pleased if you scream in pain while I…" The man then dragged the blade along Kyoya's face, moving it vertically from the spot under his eyes then downwards, making sure to run it deeply before once again slicing across the new wound, this time vertically, forming wounds that would soon resemble a cross-shaped scar. "…do this." He finished.

Kyoya bit his lower lip, almost making it bleed. The blade slicing across his face was painful, the effect of the chemical he inhaled prior made the pain ten times worse. It was unbearable, but Kyoya would never give his foe the satisfaction of making him cry out.

The man watched as blood slowly flowed out of the wounds he had just inflicted, the thick liquid creating trails of crimson on the younger's face. "Come on! Scream!" The man yelled aloud, glaring darkly as his victim remained silent. "Your voice isn't the one that's paralyzed so scream!" He snapped, pressing his hand harshly on the open wound. Kyoya held back the gasp that was threatening to escape from his lips, he wouldn't scream, not if he could help it. This however, seemed to anger the fighter some more. "Fine, have it your way! If you wouldn't cry out, then I'll make you!" Without warning, he moved the bloodied knife on the other side of Kyoya's face, doing the exact same thing he did before.

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A few meters away from the two, the earl couldn't help but silently cheer inside the carriage. He wasn't wrong to hire the underground fighter as his bodyguard. The fighter may have played unfairly, but who cares about that? The earl sure doesn't and he was certain that no one does either.

Unknown to the earl, there was actually someone who does, and currently, said someone was not enjoying it, no, he was fuming with rage, and still 'fuming with rage' was still sugar-coating what that someone really feels at the moment.

Dashan's blood boiled, a murderous intent was rapidly rising within his whole being. His hands twitched precariously, itching to kill, no scratch that, _mutilate_, someone as he watched the scene unfolding before his eyes. Kyoya's opponent, that cheating bastard whose remains was not worthy to be eaten even by vultures, was really, genuinely making the young noble infuriated beyond elucidation. That revoltingly hideous, sadistic bastard dared to even think of hurting _his _Kyoya. Yes, his. You see, Dashan was but three things, one is that he's very loyal to those who were loyal to him, the second one is that he was extremely possessive, and the last is that he was fascinatingly protective about those he consider as his, and Kyoya was on top, not to mention the sole person, on the young noble's list. And Dashan would most definitely not stand there doing nothing when some lowly Neanderthal was hurting the assassin.

So with practiced stealth, Dashan left the shadows shielding him from prying eyes, his every movement as heavy as a feather and as noisy as a cat, his sword drawn.

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Meanwhile, the fighter was obviously getting fed up with the younger's silence. All he wanted to do was to hear Kyoya scream in pain, is that too much to ask? Finally, he had enough, slapping Kyoya hard on both cheeks, making sure to hit the open wounds. "You're no fun at all. You wouldn't even cry out and you make me really, really mad." Threateningly he positioned his knife on top of Kyoya's neck. "I'm done with you." The man said with a sneer. "One swipe and you're dead. Any last words?"

Kyoya closed his eyes, and he took a deep breath, then…he spat on the man's face, opening his eyes only to reveal mocking cornflower blue orbs.

The man was apparently angered further by Kyoya's actions, his face turning red from rage. "You little…I'll kill you!" He was beyond ready to end Kyoya's life, only to be stopped by a rather painful slash upon his back, the knife he held falling uselessly on the ground. Hissing in pain, the man turned around to see who assaulted him, only to receive another equally painful slash on his chest. The fighter was not given any chance to recover from both attacks as another slash, much deeper than the first two, was delivered near his stomach. Unable to withstand the pain, the man screamed. The pained sound that came out of his mouth appeared to have not reached his attacker, for the teen ferociously slashing his chest had clearly no intention of stopping anytime soon.

Dashan's eyes were blank, frighteningly dull as he used his sword to cut the man's chest, one slash after another, each attack only having an interval of a second or two before being followed by another much deeper one. The young noble looked like he was a completely different person, as if the only emotion he knew was anger, which was at the moment not far from the truth. The lone thought running inside his mind was to kill; every movement of his sword on the man's body was followed by mumbled statements of how it wasn't enough to satisfy him.

A slash, "Not yet."

Another one, "Still not enough."

And another, "One more."

The young noble's whispered words were repeated over and over again until it started to sound like a repetitive chant.

The underground fighter was lying prone on the ground now, his body no longer able to hold itself upright. He's breathing was already turning shallow, the blood seeping out from his wounds were staining his clothes and pooling on the ground beneath him. He was dying and he knew it. "You…" The dying man struggled to talk, to at least convey his thoughts to his killer. "…monster."

Dashan's face remained emotionless, "I know." Were the only words he said before remorseless hands brought down the deadly blade, the cold metal piercing a barely beating soft organ.

The earl, who was watching the whole show inside his carriage couldn't believe what he saw, realizing how right he had been to fear the young noble. With his desire to live longer, the earl tried to escape, creeping silently out of the vehicle. His silent exit seemed to be going smoothly for Dashan was still glaring at the dead body of his ex-bodyguard, only to be foiled by the loud yelp of the cat whose tail he had stepped on in his haste to run away. The earl froze for a moment before he turned around to look at the younger noble, who, was at the moment, smiling creepily at him.

"Running away, earl?" Dashan's voice was cold and monotonous as he took one step forward. "Don't you know that death has always been the greatest escape?" The young noble added flatly before throwing a small dagger in the direction of the earl swiftly, his perfect aim helped to embed the tiny metal right at the center of the earl's forehead, the end result resembling that of a dart on a dart board—but perhaps, minus the blood—the small metal killing the older man before he could even turn around to flee. Without even waiting for the earl's body to hit the dirty road, the young noble turned to kneel beside Kyoya's prone form, immediately aiding the wounded assassin. The anger in Dashan's eyes was instantly replaced by something enthrallingly gentle and caring.

"Kyoya." He began softly, his hand moving to touch the still bleeding cuts marring the assassin's face only to draw it back quickly upon hearing the green-haired man's pained gasp. The nobleman bit his lower lip, hating every moment of seeing Kyoya in such a state.

Kyoya mumbled in agony, "…can't move… hurts…" His voice broken, the discomfort he was feeling was apparent from the long pauses of his statement.

"Don't worry anymore…" Dashan whispered, his voice soft, worried and tender as he gently scooped the other's body from the ground, easily lifting the assassin up. "…I'll take care of you." He declared faintly, holding Kyoya's form closer, his protectiveness evident as he secured the other's figure in his arms. Then he walked away, not forgetting to step on the underground fighter's corpse as he passed by it.

The last thing Kyoya saw was Dashan's worried face before the events of the night's battle finally took its toll on him, his breathing evened out as his consciousness slowly left him, drifting into a dreamless sleep almost instantly.

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**A/N:** …And that's how Kyoya got his scars (*mutters darkly* Stupid cheating bastard, doing that to Kyoya…I sound as if I wasn't the one who wrote it…I'm weird, trust me, I know…)

Anyway, first thing first, lame fight scene is lame..Sorry if the fight scene isn't that good. (It's my first time writing one -smiles sheepishly-) Next would be how I may not be able to update for a very little while, since here in where I live, finals is coming up soon and I would be pretty busy reviewing for the exams and finishing other school related stuff, not to mention the fact that we have to dance ballroom for our finals in P.E. (I have two left feet! Yeah, I'm super terrible in dancing.) But I really hope that I'll be able to update sometime next month. (Let's all hope I'll be able to squeeze updating the next chapter during my very rare free times.)

Next chapter would beall about Dashan and Kyoya. *smiles mischievously* I swear!

If you got the time, please tell me what you think? I'll be really happy if you do.

Thank you so much for reading.


	5. 3B: Of Broken Facades and Beating Hearts

**Title: **Loyalties from the Side without Light

**Warning/s: Yaoi. Yaoi. Yaoi.** (There are three of them and they're in bold…You've been warned, so yeah…), characters are pretty much out of it (yep, they're really OOC in here, it is in an AU after all), crack pair ahead, violence and gore (Sorry, the sadist in me won the argument), a bit of language (I'm not really one to curse…much)

**Disclaimer: ** I disclaim. The characters I used here belong to their respective creator and I own nothing aside from the crazy plot of this tiny fanfic I wrote (or typed for the matter).

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**Thank You Corner!**

Before everything else:

_~Fallenbey_: Yes, poor, poor Kyoya. It hurt me to see him like that, too. But, we definitely have to give it to Dashan for killing that no good old man. Thank you so much for the review by the way. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

_~Lavender Rose of Faith_: Really? I did great with the fight scene? Oh, I'm so happy! Thank you! And yes, I hate that cheating bastard too. (That's why I made Dashan kill him.. hehe) Please enjoy this chapter!

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**A/N: **I did it! I managed to squeeze this in my busy schedule and found the time to update! *does a happy dance* I tried to do every school related stuff—except for reviewing for my upcoming exams, which is what I should be doing…but…oh, well… I tend to forget more when I review anyway (Is there anyone else who experiences the same thing as me or am I the only one?) — that's needed to be done ahead of time just to be able to update. It's one hell of a work, but I don't really mind. That's how much I love you guys. So I hope you'll find this chapter enjoying.

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**Chapter 3: **Of Broken Façades and Beating Hearts (Part 2)

When the noble arrived at his mansion, he noted that most of his servants were still up, realizing that they must have found out about him not being home when he should be. The noble, however, paid his servants no mind, not even as most of them gasped after taking in Kyoya's state, Dashan's focus solely on the assassin held in his arms. Seeing the clotting blood covering Kyoya's face, Dashan felt his wrath rise once again, leading him to shout at the maid who reached over to take Kyoya while offering to patch the green haired male up for him, harshly ordering the terrified woman to back off, warning her not to touch Kyoya, an obvious surge of protectiveness washing over him as he held the other's unconscious form closer.

Everyone backed away then and there; the young noble's fury was more than enough of a caveat for them to know that none of them was to touch or come any closer to Kyoya. All the people within the mansion was frightened, not a single one of them wanting to get in Dashan's way, everyone making a mental note to themselves about leaving the young noble alone for the night…or maybe even for the whole month. Those who had been working in the mansion for the longest time had already came to the conclusion that someone was going to pay dearly, knowing that the noble would never forgive anyone who dares to even _plan_ of thinking about harming Kyoya, none of them having any idea that the person responsible for the blue-eyed man's current state had already paid the price. As the young noble stepped inside his room, each and every person in the mansion decided that it would be best not to bother the angered youth, all of them smart enough to stay ten meters away from Dashan—they like to keep their heads intact, thank you very much.

Inside his room, Dashan immediately laid Kyoya down on his bed, careful not to cause any further damage. Once Kyoya had been set comfortably on the bed, the noble proceeded to grab everything he would need from the nearby medical cabinet, thankful that he had at least read a book about giving someone first aid back in the past. Passing his wardrobe, Dashan figured that he would have to get Kyoya out of his clothes as well, so with a shrug, the noble took one of his night clothes out before continuing his way towards the still unconscious man. Without wasting a fracture of a second, Dashan began to work, gently wiping the dried blood on Kyoya's wounds, flinching at how deep it was. Disinfecting the cut, Dashan actually felt a little glad that the other was unconscious and would most likely be unable to feel the sting that the substance would definitely cause. Seeing the cuts inflicted upon Kyoya's once unmarred face, the young noble knew that it would surely leave scars, permanent marks that would constantly remind Dashan of how much he had messed up. Sighing loudly, the dark haired noble couldn't help but blame himself, hating himself for being _so overconfident_. He kept telling himself that Kyoya wouldn't have been hurt if only he had considered the fact that their target was paranoid enough to hire some lowly, cheating underground fighter as his bastard of a bodyguard. Still wallowing in his own self loathing, the noble finished patching up the assassin's wounds, proceeding next to change Kyoya's dirtied clothes, gasping audibly at the sight that met his eyes. Angry bruises littered Kyoya's abdomen, the abnormal coloring on his skin resulting from the vicious punches and kicks he received from his now deceased opponent. With shaking hands, Dashan hurriedly put the clothes on Kyoya, not wanting to look at the other's battered form much longer.

"I'm sorry." The noble choked out as he carefully laid himself beside the other, weariness finally catching up to him. He was exhausted, both in body and in mind, but the latter more than the other. His thoughts were filled with the feelings of resentment and guilt towards himself as he succumbed to sleep.

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It was approximately three hours later when Kyoya awoke, opening his eyes to see the blurry outlines of a familiar ceiling. Beside him, the assassin could discern the sounds of soft, steady breathings reaching his ears. When his vision finally cleared, he slowly turned his head to the side, glad that he could finally move freely, but wincing at the pain the small movement brought. Unexplainable happiness surged within his heart as the peaceful sleeping face of his sire came to view, all of the pain he was felling seemingly vanished in an instant, exhilarated by the knowledge that it was the noble himself who took care of him and had never left his side since then. The young assassin, in an attempt to find a more comfortable position, shifted slightly, more careful as to not wake the slumbering noble than trying not to strain himself any further. He, however, was not able to do so as he realized one of Dashan's arms was draped lightly over his abdomen. Smiling to no one in particular, Kyoya forgot his slight discomfort, preferring to remain in his previous position as one of his hands made its way to lie on top of the noble's. Staring at the ceiling, the assassin watched the dancing shadows formed by the dim light of the lamp as it blended with the darkness, absentmindedly playing with the noble's warm fingers.

Dashan, being a light sleeper, was roused out of his slumber by the feather light touches upon his fingers. Still somnolent from sleep, Dashan paid the action no mind, only to jolt upright after realizing that Kyoya was already awake and was the one playing with his fingers, his sudden action shocking both himself and the person beside him.

"You're awake! How are you? Are you felling alright? Are you still hurting?" Dashan gave Kyoya no time to answer as he threw a barrage of question towards the other without pause.

Kyoya blinked, his features stunned at the noble's actions, looking up with wide, curious eyes at the person fussing over him, unable to speak as the other rambled with no intention of stopping. Kyoya, admittedly, was shocked to see his sire in such a state, though what caused the assassin's breath to stop momentarily was what Dashan said next.

In a soft, barely audible voice, Dashan apologized. "I'm sorry. I was too confident…_so damn confident_. I never took the possibility of the earl having a bodyguard into consideration. Because of me…you got hurt. I'm really sorry. "

And as the noble hovered over Kyoya, apologizing over and over again, almost turning the words 'I'm sorry' into an unending mantra, the assassin knew he had to do something, because, really, he hated seeing his sire in such a state. He didn't, not even the tiniest bit, like to see the noble blaming himself over something he had no control over. So, when his sire was about to apologize for the tenth time, Kyoya gently placed his hand on top of the noble's right cheek, the action effectively cutting Dashan's apology midway.

Dashan's whole body stiffened, all the words he wanted to say failed to come out of his mouth as he felt the gentlest and warmest touch upon his cheek. Looking down, the noble's widened green eyes met with the assassin's blue ones, pools of blue that held nothing but admiration towards him. Kyoya's eyes held no anger, no hatred towards him, and Dashan wondered how could the other not blame him after everything, wanting to know why Kyoya was still looking at him as if he was someone who could never do anything wrong when he clearly messed up.

Seeing the noble's bewilderment, Kyoya's eyes softened some more, his voice taking a comforting tone. "None of what happened was your fault. The both of us hadn't anticipated anything close to what had transpired. I'm not blaming you for anything so you don't have to blame yourself either."

And that's when Kyoya saw it. Dashan's façade came crumbling in a phase so fast, every emotion the noble had tried so hard to keep locked up broke free from its prison, making the young noble painfully vulnerable. Every emotion, the guilt, the anger and most of all the fear, all reflected lucidly into his glassy green eyes. In a matter of moments, Dashan was a teenager once again and with his broken façade came the admission of his greatest fear.

"Losing you…" The noble whispered, feeling his mouth suddenly go dry, a lump forming in his throat as he strained himself to get the words out. "…that's what I'm afraid of. You're the only constant in my life, Kyoya. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. I don't even know if I could handle it if you disappear as well."

It was Kyoya's turn to freeze, at loss for words after hearing his sire's revelation. Dashan was afraid. The noble's greatest fear was losing him. Dashan feared the same thing Kyoya was terrified of, both of them afraid to lose each other. Just then, images flashed in front of Kyoya's vision, his body trembling as vivid thoughts of everyone he had killed assaulted his mind violently, followed by the undeniable fact that Dashan _could _end up like them—cold, bloody…_lifeless_.

As blue locked with green, both _teens_—because that's _really what they should be_ and that being a man all the time is hard, and a break from it all once in a while, as decided by both, was necessary—knew that they needed the assurance that none of them was going anywhere. They knew that they, the two of them, needed the proof that their hearts was still beating, that they were still alive and that they were planning to keep it that way.

Kyoya reached out, wanting nothing but to feel Dashan's warmth, his cornflower blue eyes locking steadily with Dashan's emerald green ones. "I'm right here. I'm not planning on going anywhere." The young assassin said, fully aware that words, at that moment, were not enough to assure them both. Kyoya fully understood that they needed something much more solid and much more tangible than words, feeling that somehow, Dashan knew it too.

Without averting his gaze, Dashan conversed with Kyoya through his eyes, not trusting his words as he pleaded for something that Kyoya was more than willing to give even without the noble asking him to. The assassin let out a small nod, giving the young noble the permission he was seeking for. Being given the carte blanche, Dashan moved to lean forward, slowly bringing his face near Kyoya's.

Kyoya's heart thumped wildly inside his chest, his pulse speeding up as he felt Dashan's lips hovering a millimeter over his own. When their lips finally met in a soft, gentle kiss, Kyoya felt nothing but pure and utter bliss, all the physical strain his body received from his fight earlier was pushed in the back of his mind. Dashan shared the assassin's feelings, fireworks seemingly dancing in front of his vision at the contact. There was nothing else in the room but the two of them. But, and a very big but, none of it was enough. The innocent kiss gradually turned into something much more profound—deep, passionate, fiery—as Kyoya's hands made its way around Dashan's neck, pulling the noble closer, coaxing the other to give him more. Dashan complied, pressing his form closer to Kyoya, at the same time making sure that he wouldn't put any further strain on Kyoya's body, as he deepened the kiss being shared between the two of them. Both of their eyes fluttered close as tongues became involved, there was no battle for dominance, though; both of the teens simply giving everything that there is to give to the other. Suddenly, it was no longer just giving each other the assurance they needed. Suddenly, it was _something else,_ something much more serious, something they hid for a time longer than they could remember. Suddenly, they were already standing in front of a line, a border of sorts that, once crossed, would give them no means of getting back ever again.

As the teens pull apart for air, the unspoken question hung in between them. 'Would they cross the line even after knowing that there's no going back afterwards?'

It may be true that it was a hard decision to make, but when they locked gazes once again, deciding their next course of action appeared to be the simplest thing to do, as if rational thinking wasn't even necessary anymore. They knew they couldn't turn back now; they _would never _turn back, not after everything was already out in the open. Their fears, their worries, their secrets, their _feelings_, all revealed bare for the other to freely see.

With a tiny soothing smile, Dashan leaned down once again, voicing the decision he came upon in a soft whisper, his breath ghosting over Kyoya's lightly parted lips. "I'll hold your hand if you're willing to hold mine."

Kyoya didn't have to ask what the other meant, he could comprehend it clearly. He already have an answer as well, but he couldn't find the words to say and as such, he did what he thought was best. Kyoya, in one swift motion, pulled his sire in for another kiss, entangling his fingers on Dashan's black strands as their kiss turned more heated than the first one, both savoring the moment.

Things became blurry from there onwards as both of them begun to fall into the spiraled depths of the burning moment. Their hearts thundered within their chests, beating together in a deafening yet entirely pleasant rhythm. The heat of the precious moment escalated into a flaming sensation as Dashan took Kyoya away—claiming the assassin as his—slowly and gently. Soft pleasured moans reverberated within the four walls of the room as their closely entwined bodies performed the synchronized steps to their private dance, moving together in time with a special music heard only by them. Every movement, every touch, every kiss, every name whispered, _everything,_ drove both teens over the edge, reaching the fulfillment they both desire. Through all of it, vividly shining eyes that reflect loyalty, devotion, trust…_love_…was the only thing clear to both of them. They were finally bonded, connected in heart, in body, in soul and that single fact elated them like no other.

Crossing the line of no return without knowing what would happen next was indeed difficult, but somehow, knowing that they'll do it hand in hand was more than enough to keep their anxieties away. And as long as none of them would let go, the consequences of their actions, no matter how hard, would be somewhat bearable.

And as the sun started to rise outside, two figures begun to fall into a peaceful slumber, both lulled to sleep by the musical sound of the other's soft beating heart.

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**A/N: **…Don't look at me… I don't know why it turned out like that either (But, hey, I kind of like how it turned out). When I was writing this chapter all I was thinking was how I wanted to focus on just Dashan and Kyoya, and the words just flowed. This chapter basically wrote itself.

And once again, I apologize for any grammatical errors and the like you've encountered.

Tune in for the next chapter… someone's going to turn up…

Please review? It makes me really happy.

Thank you for reading!


	6. 4: The Cat's Deadly Game

**Title: **Loyalties from the Side without Light

**Warning/s: **Yaoi (need I say more?), characters are pretty much out of it (yep, they're really OOC in here, it is in an AU after all), crack pair ahead, very, very slight violence and gore (Sorry, the sadist in me won the argument), a bit of language (I'm not really one to curse…much)

**Disclaimer: ** I disclaim. The characters I used here belong to their respective creator and I own nothing aside from the crazy plot of this tiny fanfic I wrote (or typed for the matter).

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**Thank You Corner!**

_~Lavender Rose of Faith_: Your review actually made me re-read my work and I totally have to agree with you. The last chapter was pretty intense. (I didn't even realize I was capable of something like that *laughs*) Thank you for reading and reviewing!

_~Fallenbey_: I'm glad you loved the previous chapter and as for your question…the answer is yes, yes they did. (My mom read the previous chapter too and she asked the same thing, probably knowing it already but wanted the confirmation *blushes* It was so embarrassing when I answered her yes and she just looked at me like I've grown another head!)

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**Chapter 4: **The Cat's Deadly Game

It had been nearly a month since _that_ night happened, however, very few things had changed. The young noble was still cold and emotionless, getting mad at everyone in the mansion whenever some of them mess up. All of the servants from the household were still terrified of the noble, trying their best to avoid the man if they could, though they never fail to notice the drastic shift in the noble's mood—Dashan's dark narrowed eyes suddenly turning into something soft and bright—in the presence of Kyoya, something that confuses every single one of them greatly. The servants could only wish being able to tie the green-haired youth with the noble, if only to keep the man in a good mood, knowing that it's a far off dream because it's no secret that Kyoya could be as terrifying as the noble if he so wanted to be.

The dynamic of Dashan's and Kyoya's relationship, through all those times, remained the same as well, at least to an outsider's point of view.

Behind closed doors, however, both men revert back into being seventeen year olds, youths who were simply living a life fit for their age. Away from prying eyes, scrutinizing looks and judgmental gazes, they were just teens. _Dashan and Kyoya_, a pleasing shift from being a proud noble and his loyal follower. When there was only the two of them, there were no titles, no names to uphold, no reputations to keep, _nothing_. When there was no one else but the other, they could easily forget their dark wish for revenge, reveling in the fact of how nice it was to refer to themselves as teenagers instead of men, times when they could be utterly vulnerable and yet feel safe at the same time without having to worry about anything. Moments when they could be happy for there were no pretenses, no lies, no facades, relieved that they could leave all their burdens behind once in a while, glad to feel the heavy weight upon their shoulders being lifted even if only for a few stolen moments.

It was also nearly a month since Kyoya last performed his job, Dashan making it specifically clear to him that he was not allowed to do any assassinations until he was completely healed, which, taken the current circumstances, wouldn't be too far away from the present. The bruises he received as well as the cuts upon his face was healing really fast anyway, all thanks to those nasty, weirdly colored ointments—Kyoya's nose crinkled at the thought, remembering how said ointments smell and feel against his skin—Dashan insisted he should use. Despite not being able to do something dangerous, which Kyoya had just recently found out that he enjoys doing, as well as being subjected into freaky medicines and ointments, the green-haired teen realized that he doesn't really care. He wasn't complaining either, no, definitely not. As a matter of fact, he actually found his break from all the killing wonderful, the fact that he could spend as much time as he wanted with Dashan made it even better. The noble was so adamant about staying with him, the black haired teen wanting nothing but to spend all his time with the other as much as he could. And Kyoya loved every small fracture of a second he was with Dashan, knowing that the noble was feeling the exact same thing.

They were taking advantage of those few short private moments they have, taking back all the times that had been wasted and lost, times when they could have been showing each other affection but couldn't because of certain circumstances.

It was in these private times that both teens could enjoy the other's warmth as they sat side by side in pleasant silence, fingers entwined securely. Engraving every little kiss shared between them to memory, as well as making sure none of them would forget those moments they spent out in the balcony, the blue eyed teen sitting comfortably on the young noble's lap as they gazed upon the moon, bathing in the ghastly glow the magnificent night wonder was giving off. Treasuring every night they were alone and undisturbed inside the noble's room, snuggled together under the covers on the soft and fluffy bed, either clothed or not, Kyoya's form fitting perfectly in Dashan's strong protective arms.

Just like tonight. Dashan and Kyoya were lying comfortably on the huge bed; a single thick blanket was the sole thing shielding them from the cold temperature, their bodies still flush from the aftermath of their love-making. Kyoya's head was resting on top of Dashan's bare chest while the noble was absentmindedly playing with the silky green strands of his hair. And as Dashan's fingers treaded lightly on Kyoya's hair, he noticed the troubled look present upon the other teen's face, causing him to break the silence that had settled between them, getting Kyoya's attention.

"Kyoya, what's wrong? You look troubled." The noble prompted in a tender voice, looking straight into the other's eyes, knowing that it would keep Kyoya from lying.

Unable to lie, Kyoya took a deep breath before answering, revealing the cause of his troubles. "I'm becoming your weakness." Kyoya mumbled before averting his gaze, suddenly finding the lamp interesting.

Kyoya's answer caused Dashan to reach out, caressing the assassin's face gently, smiling a bit as the green haired teen leant into the touch. "What makes you say that? Because I believe that you're still the strongest fighter I know."

"But there are still those who're stronger than me. It may be true that we have yet to face them, but, they're there." The assassin replied in a low voice. "I don't want them to get you through me."

"They wouldn't be able to hurt either of us." The noble assured softly, brushing the hair out of Kyoya's face. "And you're not becoming my weakness, in fact, you're becoming the opposite."

"I'm becoming…the opposite?" Confusion clouded Kyoya's eyes as he silently asked the noble to explain his words.

Dashan pulled Kyoya closer, brushing his nose against the other's as he attempted to put Kyoya's worries to rest. "Having someone to protect and keep safe, _having you_, it helps me to become stronger than I already am. With you by my side, I know there would be nothing that could stand in my way. Call me cliché, but that's how I feel." He then moved forward, closing what little gap standing between him and the other as he delivered a chaste feather light kiss over Kyoya's soft lips. "So put all your troubles aside and just stay with me. We'll take it from there, all right?"

Seeing the raw confidence glazing the noble's green eyes, Kyoya felt all of his worries evaporate into thin air, nodding ever so slightly as he felt his eyelids dropping, sleep finally started catching up to him.

Noticing this, the noble pried in a whisper, "Are you tired?"

Kyoya stifled a yawn, murmuring 'yeah' in a drowsy voice, an action that caused Dashan to let out a soft chuckle. The young assassin could be so adorable sometimes. And yes, Dashan was most definitely in love.

"Go to sleep then." Dashan stated as he shifted a bit, pulling the blankets slightly to cover both of them properly, making sure that Kyoya was comfortable as he tightly wrapped his arms around the other teen.

Kyoya let out a barely noticeable nod, not forgetting to wish the noble good night, smiling unconsciously as he felt the slightest touch of Dashan's lips on his forehead followed by the noble's calming voice whispering 'sweet dreams' near his ear, sending him off to dreamland peacefully.

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Somewhere else, in a different yet equally huge mansion, a man could be found inside his office, sitting in a relaxed manner on a luxurious looking chair, a cup of naturally brewed coffee was being held in his hands. This man, whose face was indiscernible due to the darkness of the room, was currently entertaining a _very special_ guest. Said guest, a professional assassin, whose appearance was also hidden from view, was crouched in front of the older man, the smallest shift in his posture suggesting his impatience, his nose scrunching up unpleasantly from the strong smell of coffee assaulting his senses. There was nothing but silence between the two figures, until finally, the older of the two spoke, his voice cutting the silence in a way a hot knife would on butter.

"You may rise." He ordered in a powerful voice, conveying his rank and authority towards the younger, letting the assassin know who the real boss between the two of them is.

In one swift motion, the younger did exactly what the nobleman was asking him to do, springing up right away, glad to be on his feet once more. "Finally." He mumbled, loud enough for the other man to hear, the noble's voice, full of authority and power, seemed to have no effect on him as he craned his neck from side to side in an attempt to ease the stiffness it acquired from crouching so low.

"I take it that you are already aware of the reason as to why you're standing here before me." The older stated, signaling that their negotiation had officially begun.

"I've been doing this job for years now." The younger scoffed, feeling indignant at the noble's words. "Do you honestly believe that I wouldn't have any idea as to why I'm here?"

"Don't you think that you're being rude to me, your current employer and the person who would be paying you?" The man asked, one of his eyebrows rising up as he did so.

"You are paying me to kill someone, _not_ to act polite." The assassin answered haughtily, making it clear to his so called new employer that all he wanted to hear was the details about his current assignment

The noble, taking the hint from the younger, decided to finally get to the real point of the whole conversation. "True, I'm not paying you to act polite, so I'll get straight to the point now." He started, taking a nice slow sip of his coffee. "You see, there's a _little mouse_ running around the city and killing off my dogs."

The younger let out a low whistle, his lips curving up to form a tiny smirk. "Impressive. Something tells me that this little mouse is no ordinary pest."

"Indeed, but I, as a cat, finally decided that I've let the little rodent roam around and play more than I intended it to." The noble declared, grabbing a photograph from inside his file drawer. "Get rid of _it_." He ordered flatly, his tone remorseless and uncaring, throwing the glossy paper over his guest, who in turn caught it easily. "Let me warn you though, that mouse is very tricky."

"Do not underestimate me! I have my own tricks up my sleeve." The assassin snapped, eyes narrowing as he scanned the photograph in his hand before turning it over, not the least bit surprised to find every information he needed written at the back—his target's name, age and address—his brows rising the slightest bit upon seeing the number written after the word age, but then again, why would he care about the age of someone who would die soon.

"Very well, I expect a lot from you." The older of the two said, ending the negotiation between him and the younger, throwing a small pouch filled with gold pieces towards the assassin. "That's your down payment. Impress me and I'll triple it."

"Generous." The assassin smirked widely, raising the pouch near his face to examine it for a little while before turning around to head for the door only to be stopped by the noble.

"Wait." The older man's voice echoed within the four walls of the room. "I believe I haven't learned your name yet."

His hand on the knob, the assassin replied shortly. "It's Hunter."

"I'm asking for your _real_ name." The noble emphasized, his eyes boring holes into the younger's back. "I'm fully aware that 'Hunter' is what the police refer to you as."

"I actually prefer being called Hunter and keep my real name to myself." The assassin said, turning around to once again face the older man. "However, since you wanted to know it so badly, and also, you look like you're going to make a fit if I don't tell you…I'll make an exception." Then his eyes hardened, warning the nobleman that there's a condition the older needed to follow. "But this stays between you and me."

"You have my word." The nobleman promised. "Whatever it is that you would tell me would never get out of this room."

The assassin nodded, and as he opened his mouth to reveal his name the clouds drifted away from the moon, its light seeping through the thin curtains of the office, illuminating a few objects.

"My real name…" The mysterious young assassin begun lowly, the light from the moon hitting his form, its ghastly glow revealing fair skin complemented by strands of golden blond hair and dangerous bright blue eyes as he smirked eerily. "…is…"

A dramatic pause.

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**A/N: **I totally adore this chapter! (I don't know why exactly, I just do.) And oh, I'm sorry about the cliff hanger, that's not really what I had planned but it just felt right to cut it from there. (But I'm pretty certain most of you already figured out who the mysterious assassin is *sobs* I know I'm not that good at being subtle.)

Tell me what you think?

Thank you for reading!


	7. 5: Friends, Allies and Foes

**Title: **Loyalties from the Side without Light

**Warning/s: **Yaoi (need I say more?), characters are pretty much out of it (yep, they're really OOC in here, it is in an AU after all), crack pair ahead, very, very slight violence and gore (Sorry, the sadist in me won the argument), a bit of language (I'm not really one to curse…much)

**Disclaimer: ** I disclaim. The characters I used here belong to their respective creator and I own nothing aside from the crazy plot of this tiny fanfic I wrote (or typed for the matter).

x-o000o-x

**Thank You Corner!**

_~Lavender Rose of Faith_: Thank you for your review and of course for liking this story. Kyoya's really turning out to be Dashan's weakness, isn't he? As for the mystery assassin, well, I'm still planning to keep his identity a secret for a little while, a very little while, if I may add. But Julian does have blond hair and blue eyes, doesn't he? *smiles*

_~Fallenbey_: Oh, my mom asking me 'bout that was uncomfortable, alright, but when my mom told my dad about what she read and my dad went silent for a few minutes before saying, "When you write something like that again, just try not to get too carried away, and don't write it in full detail, that would be terrifying." I nearly fainted! Anyway, just stay tuned and who knows, maybe your guess is right. *winks*

_~obCESSed_: Thank you and don't stress yourself, you will definitely know more about them. Alrighty then, I'll leave you and let you continue your 'fan-girl-on-fantasizing mode'. *grins*

_~Guest (1)_: The mysterious guy is… *pauses dramatically* … you have to wait and read to find out, but no worries, you'll find out soon enough.

_~Guest (2)_: I'm terribly sorry for the cliffhanger *bows apologetically*, the last chapter wasn't supposed to be a cliffy but I decided against it. I hope this makes up for it.

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**Chapter 5: **Friends, Allies and Foes

The 'Hunter' silently pushed his way through the crowded market, expertly blending in with the many people lined up for the special market sale. His golden blond hair shone under the sun as his bright sky-shaded eyes scanned the place for any sign of the police, grunting to himself as he asked himself why he was being so guarded when the police didn't even know how he looked like. But then again, he could never be so sure these days.

He continued to walk aimlessly for a few more hours until he finally got tired and not to mention hungry. So with a sigh, he looked around, his eyes catching sight of a small café and decided that it would do. Stuffing his hands in his pocket, he headed nimbly towards the said café, instantly ordering a cup of hot chocolate—he was never really a fan of coffee and tea—once he was seated. As he inhaled the sweet aroma of his favored beverage, his mind wandered back towards the sole photograph sitting snugly and securely within one of the secret pockets found in his coat, thinking about the limited words and numbers scribbled behind the glossy paper, wondering why his new boss was so terrified—because why else would his new employer want a teenager dead if he wasn't afraid of him, or rather of what said teenager could do—of someone so young.

Seventeen years old, that was his new target's age, only a year younger than his own. Shaking his head, the Hunter scoffed, trying to exterminate all his unnecessary thoughts about his newest victim from his mind. He reminded himself that he was an assassin; his job was to kill without mercy. He was trained to end the life of whomever his employer wanted dead, regardless of gender and age, no questions asked.

Savoring the last drops of the hot chocolate, he slowly emptied his cup, asked for the bill then left after handing his payment to the young lady that served him his drink before once again making his way through the still thick crowd. As he dodged bodies from his left and right in an attempt to avoid colliding with them, his thoughts were suddenly filled with plans on how to get to his target without arising suspicion, knowing that he needed to be extremely careful this time around. He was aware that this new mission of his was unlike any other for his opponent was tougher than the rest, completely aware that those who grew up ahead of their age were far more cunning and has more experience than those people who consider themselves knowledgeable adults, knowing that his target had seen more evil than those ignorant people could handle.

Just then, as he was walking pass a small toy shop, something caught his eyes. And whatever he saw made the gears inside his head turn. Then he smirked.

Wonderful.

His plan is now set.

x-o000o-x

The young noble was sitting peacefully in the mansion's dining hall, silently sipping his favorite brew of tea, smiling fondly at the sight before him. Dashan's eyes softened as he watched Kyoya, the young assassin was sitting across from him, nibbling his biscuit slowly in a somewhat childish manner that Dashan found strangely, and almost illegally endearing. Taking another sip from his cup, the young noble realized that his favorite beverage had already turned cold. Shrugging uncaringly, he took another sip, concluding that if the price of seeing Kyoya act unguardedly and not to mention, adorably, was his tea getting cold, then he'll gladly let his drink freeze. After all, rare moments when Kyoya shows his child-like habits were worth more than a billion cups of hot tea combined.

The young noble's tea-time, though 'Kyoya-time' seems to be a much better term this days, was interrupted by an all too familiar voice.

"Is that coffee I smell?" The owner of the voice joked, knowing full well that Dashan hated coffee.

Rolling his eyes, Dashan turned to face the intruder, slightly disappointed at the fact that the new presence caused the green-haired assassin to stop nibbling his food, Kyoya opting instead to eat in a proper manner, though the noble noted from the look on Kyoya's eyes that he still wanted to make small quick bites on his biscuit.

"Coming uninvited again, Ryuga?" The young noble commented as he raised an elegant eyebrow towards the direction of one of the few people he considers as a friend. "How does this not surprise me?" Dashan's eyes narrowed as he looked at the figure leaning lazily against the doorframe, though the tone of his voice made it clear that he doesn't really mind the other's presence; in fact, he actually looked pleased to see his friend, though he was silently hoping that he doesn't sound so obvious.

"What?" Ryuga sighed, "No I missed you?" He then placed a hand over his chest, trying to look hurt but failing. "You wound me."

The young noble let out a fake sigh. "If you wanted to convince me that I'm hurting your feelings, then you need better acting skills." He smirked, "Because, right now, you're just plain terrible."

Ryuga chuckled, "Come on now, you know I just need practice." The eighteen year old then turned his gaze towards the other occupant of the room, smiling widely as he walked towards the assassin, pulling out a chair to sit beside the blue-eyed man. "Hey, Kyoya, what about you, did you miss me?"

Kyoya looked up momentarily from his food to glance at Ryuga then looked away soon after, grabbing his biscuit-filled plate before quickly transferring beside his sire, completely ignoring the other man's existence.

Ryuga sweat dropped, turning his attention back to Dashan. "Why does he keep on doing that? He's always ignoring me!" Ryuga whined, pointing accusingly at Kyoya who was now sitting beside the dark haired noble, still focused on his food.

Dashan shrugged, "Simple. He doesn't like you." Then he watched Ryuga's reaction, chuckling lightly as the golden-eyed man gaped like a goldfish.

"So blunt." Ryuga mumbled. "Anyway, what happened to that?" He asked, gesturing towards Kyoya's face.

Dashan fell silent, his eyes moving to rest on the assassin's scarred face, glad that the wounds had finally healed completely but still guilty at what happened. Kyoya gently nudged the noble, as if trying to tell the other that it was alright, an action that hadn't escaped Ryuga's keen eyes. Realizing that whatever happened was something neither his friend nor Kyoya would want to dwell on, Ryuga instantly changed topics.

"By the way, I didn't just come here without a reason." He quickly stated, hoping to lighten up the conversation, happy that what he said seemed to work. "Actually, I'm here for two reasons."

Dashan simply raised an elegant brow, silently asking the other man to continue talking, beside him, Kyoya finally looked up from his food and focused his attention to their guest, realizing that something's about to get serious.

Ryuga took a deep breath, looking straight into his friend's eyes. "We need to talk somewhere more private."

x-o000o-x

Once the group of three was settled comfortably in the library, Ryuga didn't hesitate to speak, stating his first reason for 'visiting'. "I've done what you asked me to." The white-haired noble begun, reaching for something inside his coat pocket. "Everything you wanted to know about the countess is in here." The nobleman then handed an envelope folded in half to the other.

"Thank you." Dashan's hand moved to take the envelope, delicate hands carefully opening it, scanning what was written on the parchment. "I greatly appreciate your help."

"It's nothing." Golden eyes then settled questioningly towards the dark haired man. "Tell me, are you going to kill her?"

Dashan was not surprised at the question; after all, it was no secret to Ryuga that Dashan was the one responsible for the various assassinations of some of those greedy nobles. Not looking up from what he was reading, he conveyed his answer in a blank voice. "If she gets in the way then, yes, I'll kill her."

"She's in the way isn't she, because she's one of his dogs, right?" Ryuga questioned, already knowing the answer based from the silence that came soon after he fired that question at the slightly younger noble. "Whoever _he_ is." The golden-eyed teen shook his head slightly, "You know, I've been aiding you with your killing spree for who knows how long and yet, I have not even a single clue as to why you're doing it." He eyed the other man skeptically. "Mind telling me the reason?"

"My reasons are mine alone, Ryuga." Green eyes then locked on gold, expertly getting the whole point across the other. "I don't like to share them."

Scratching his head, Ryuga knew he was fighting a losing battle so with a defeated sigh, he instead inquired about something else. "Could you at least tell me why you don't want to share them?"

"It's my fight." He stated simply, before explaining, "It's between _him_ and me. When the time comes for me to finally face him, I wouldn't want anyone else getting in the way. I'll end his life with my own two hands."

"Let me ask one last question, who is _he_?" Ryuga asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

"I can't tell you," Dashan stated firmly, neatly folding the parchment in his hand before sliding it back in the envelope. "Not when even _he_ doesn't know about _him_."

Even more confused, Ryuga groaned. "Are we talking about two different persons now?"

"Yes." Was the short answer he received.

"This is why I never liked mystery novels." The golden eyed man mumbled, shaking his head.

From his favorite spot on the library's carpeted floor, Kyoya, who had been listening intently on both men's conversation, said something, "That's because you're too stupid to understand them." He commented loud enough for Ryuga to hear clearly, the corners of his mouth quirking up.

Dashan, who was the nearest from where Kyoya sat, couldn't help but chuckle at the young assassin's remark, his sharp ears not failing to detect the playful tone present upon the green-haired man's voice.

Ryuga sputtered, embarrassingly so, as Kyoya looked over to him, the younger male's cornflower blue eyes mocking him. Ryuga's reaction caused Dashan's chuckle to grow just a little bit louder.

Calming himself, Dashan smiled. "Well, it would seem that I was wrong."

"What?" Ryuga wanted to kick himself for sounding so dumb.

"I was wrong." Dashan's hand move to rest atop Kyoya's head, playing gently with the assassin's wild green hair, "Kyoya likes you."

"You're saying what now?" Ryuga exclaimed, "He obviously hates me!"

Dashan shook his head, amused. "No, he doesn't." He looked down at the assassin sitting on the carpeted floor, smiling adoringly at Kyoya. "If he goes all out to mock someone playfully, it means he likes or at least fond of that person enough to waste his time on them."

"Really?" Ryuga raised an eyebrow. "Somehow, I have a feeling that it's a bad thing."

Smirking, Dashan moved his gaze away from Kyoya, settling it over at Ryuga. "Trust me, it is."

"What have I gotten myself into?" Ryuga shook his head, though he was smiling as he did so.

"Anyway, what was your other reason for visiting? I remember you saying that there were two reasons as to why you're here." Dashan asked; the smile he acquired from their small bantering still present upon his usually frowning lips.

"That! I almost forgot about that! Wait here." Ryuga stated without pause before he dashed out of the library.

Confused, Kyoya looked up to his beloved sire. "What was that about?" He moved his head to gesture towards the door where Ryuga had disappeared to.

"I don't know." Dashan shrug, equally confused as the other man, "But I'm pretty certain we'll find out soon enough." Truth be told, Ryuga returned not seconds after, with him was a young teen, which Dashan concluded to be around sixteen or seventeen. Curious, the dark haired noble was about to question his friend when said man beat him to it, introducing the teenager enthusiastically to the other two.

"This is Nile; he's one of my new helpers." He gestured to the tiny, slightly tanned teen who bowed down politely.

"A pleasant day to you, sir." Nile greeted.

"My uncle gave him to me. He said he was from a small village somewhere in the south." Ryuga added, "He's also seventeen, just like you."

"And?" Dashan looked at his friend with questioning eyes.

Ryuga huffed, "Don't _and-and _me! Aren't you the one who told me you needed some new helpers since you scared off a few of your old ones?" A tiny shake of his head followed his words. "I still couldn't believe you managed to scare off ten people all at once!" Then he let out a small smile. "So, I'm giving you Nile. He's really a great helper. He could cook, wash the dishes and do nearly all domestic stuff, besides we've got way too much helper already that I couldn't even remember who's who."

The dark haired noble blinked, a lot had happened during the past month that he nearly forget all about his current lack of helpers. Then he crossed his arms in front of his chest, knowing that his friend was up to something. "What's the catch?"

Smirking mischievously, Ryuga looked over to Kyoya whose head was now resting atop Dashan's lap, boredom evident in the assassin's undeniably pretty face. Opening his mouth, Ryuga was about to say something but was not able to for Dashan immediately cut him off.

"No." The green-eyed noble said firmly. "Kyoya belongs to me." He's eyes turned to slits, reminding Ryuga how just how vicious he could be when it comes to the blue-eyed assassin.

Ryuga took a step back, almost hiding behind Nile. "I wasn't even saying anything yet!"

"You're going to say it. I can feel it." Dashan's glare intensified, causing Ryuga to shiver, already hearing the rational part of his brain telling him to fix things as soon as possible, because Dashan in his possessive mode is _terrifyingly deadly_, even more terrifying than Ryuga himself when he was out to chop someone's head off. "Kyoya's mine, remember that."

As Ryuga tried to convince Dashan that he was only joking, Kyoya was silently cursing the traitorous blush that had spread upon his face—courtesy of the words Dashan had said with utmost seriousness—as he buried his face into the noble's lap in an attempt to hide the reddening of his cheeks. Finally, Ryuga was able to assure his friend that he was only jesting, letting out a relieved sigh as Dashan's eyes turned to normal. Aware that his friend would no longer attempt to kill him, the white-haired noble stated what he really wanted.

"Can I stay here for a few days? Please?" Ryuga pleaded.

"Don't tell me your uncle was arranging for another random noble female to stay in your house _again_?" Dashan questioned, knowing that Ryuga's uncle love to torture his nephew by trying to set him up with girls.

"Yes! So can I please stay here?" The slightly older male asked; his face and voice laced with desperation. "Uncle's trying to marry me off to some random girl again! I don't want that!"

"You'll stay away from Kyoya?" Dashan's eyes narrowed again, daring Ryuga to oppose him.

A nod, "I'll even do anything!"

A smirk, "You mean _anything_?"

Another nod, "Yes!"

A pair of mischievously glinting eyes shone under the light, "You'll clean the stable, feed the horses and wash all the muddy carriages?"

A vigorous nod followed the question, making it obvious that the man was clearly not paying attention to their conversation, "Yes!" Then, a pause, the light haired noble finally realizing what Dashan had been saying. "NO!" He glared at the younger male.

Chuckling in humor, Dashan nodded before turning completely serious. "Fine then, as long as you wouldn't pry with any of my _private_ businesses, you're free to stay as long as you want."

Based from the emphasis of that one word, Ryuga knew that Dashan was talking about the same thing they had been discussing not a few minutes ago. "Don't worry; I know not to pry on things that don't concern me."

With another quick nod, the dark haired man told Ryuga that he could use one of the guest rooms, before turning to Kyoya, asking the assassin to give Nile—his new helper—a tour around the mansion.

x-o000o-x

During dinner, four figures could be found seated around the dining table, eating the luxurious meal served in front of them silently—the four being Dashan, Kyoya, Ryuga and surprisingly, Nile. Somehow, during their little tour around the mansion, Kyoya and Nile became quick friends, the assassin, who was never one to trust others easily found something comforting about Nile's presence, not as comforting as Dashan's but enough for Kyoya to cozy up to him quickly. Both males' newly developed friendship, which would look like some sort of brotherly bond to someone whose observation skills exceeds that of the norm, led Kyoya into asking Dashan to let Nile join them for dinner, something that the noble quickly agreed to, not wanting to disappoint the green-haired male. Besides, Dashan thought that it was actually a good thing that Ryuga brought Nile and said helper became friends with his Kyoya—_his_, because the noble's possessive mode is still on, thanks to Ryuga—almost instantly and that at least the assassin would have someone else to talk to other than him. Sure Dashan wanted Kyoya's attention all to himself, but still, making a few additional allies along the way would somehow help him get through every obstacle until he eventually reach the final stage and have a faceoff with his greatest enemy, also he knew that having a friend would be good for Kyoya.

Their quiet dinner time, however, was rudely interrupted by a very loud voice coming from outside the grand dining hall that could only belong to one person. A person, who could also be consider as one of Dashan's friends, though said person was far more clueless than Ryuga in regards to Dashan's _secret_.

Recognizing the voice, Ryuga groaned, golden eyes glared at the entrance of the dining hall as he heard the footsteps, which definitely belongs to the owner of said loud voice, coming closer and closer. "Is that the annoying idiot?" The answer to his query came in the form of a seventeen year old male, Gingka, with red hair, amber eyes and a blinding toothy grin, which quickly vanished upon seeing him.

"What are you doing here?" The new arrival asked, glaring at the white haired male.

"I'm crashing here for a few days." He glared right back. "Why are _you_ here?"

"My grandfather's trying to arrange me with this girl, saying that I should get to know her, obviously planning to marry me off to her someday, which by the way I didn't want, so I ran away from home, kind of, and now I'm here to ask Dashan whether I could stay here and hide for a few days." Gingka answered in one sentence, not even stopping to catch his breath, turning to Dashan afterwards. "So, can I stay here?"

From the background, Kyoya heard his sire murmur the words 'not another one' followed by a long sigh, the assassin quickly moved his hand before he let it rest on top of the noble's in an attempt to comfort the obviously distraught man. Dealing with one was enough of a pain already; another one would be totally frustrating.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Ryuga finally managed to process what he heard and his mouth dropped open. Gingka wanted to stay in Dashan's mansion for a few days, and knowing Dashan, Ryuga was aware that the dark haired noble would probably agree to let the redhead stay over simply because his friend had no intention of dealing with Gingka's pestering. Who would want to deal with Gingka anyway? It's Gingka, for heaven's sake! And because he knew that Dashan was at the verge of saying yes, Ryuga took it to himself to deny Gingka.

"No! You can't stay here!" Ryuga exclaimed rather quickly.

Gingka crossed his arms in front of his chest, raising an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because I said so!" Ryuga said, his voice rising slightly.

"Oh yeah?" Gingka then stomped over to where Ryuga was sitting; trying to appear intimidating even though he was shorter than the other by a few inches. "I believe I asked Dashan, not you!"

Ryuga pushed away the plate in front of him, before standing up as well, his height towering over the redhead. "So? I'm staying here, which means I've got a say in this matter, too."

Things escalated from then onwards as Ryuga and Gingka—whom the other three occupants of the room concluded, was not a very good combination, since both could never seem to get along despite knowing each other for years—hurled insults at each other, none of them willing to back down.

From behind them, Dashan, who only wanted to eat peacefully and quietly, which was obviously impossible at the moment due to certain events, felt his head begin to ache. With his free hand, the one that Kyoya wasn't holding underneath the table, he rubbed his temples, closing his eyes as he let out a tired sigh, ignoring the tiny part of his mind that was ordering him to cut off both his friends' heads. Kyoya looked over at Dashan sympathetically, whispering his sire's name to get the noble's attention. The assassin smiled softly as his sire looked at him; standing up quietly as he gently tugged on the hand he was holding, prompting the noble to follow him.

"Come on, let's go to the balcony." Kyoya said lowly, "I'm sure it's quiet there."

Relief flooded in Dashan's eyes as he gladly stood up, springing out of his chair as he almost dashed out of the noisy room with Kyoya. Wordlessly, both slipped out of the room, unnoticed; Ryuga and Gingka was still busy arguing, whilst poor Nile was left with the task of trying to prevent both men from killing each other.

And as the very loud argument going on between Dashan's two guests became even louder, to the point that it even reached the balcony which was a few halls away from the dining hall, everyone within the mansion concluded that it would be a long night.

"RYUGA, YOU STUPID PARASITE!" Gingka shouted, his voice taking its highest pitch.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT, YOU IDIOT! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW TO SPELL PARASITE?" Ryuga's equally loud retort echoed within the mansion.

Yes, it would be a _very_ long night indeed.

From the balcony, Dashan had already formulated various ways on how to kill both his friends, and beside him, Kyoya assured that he knew where to hide the bodies.

x-o000o-x

**A/N: **I found this chapter really hard to write, since I couldn't really figure out how to introduce the other characters (It took me a lot of tries to finally get this one out and yet I'm still not that satisfied *cries*) And also, I originally intended for Ryuga to be in character, but I couldn't seem to make it work out *sobs* so instead, I made him a somewhat happy-go-lucky, funny guy who could be serious if necessary and surprisingly, he's still not too fond of Gingka in here…or is he really? (I let one of my friends in school read this and she told me she actually liked Ryuga here *grins triumphantly* I finally am able to make her like Ryuga! So I hope you guys like his personality in this one, too.)

And as always, I'm sorry for any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes you've encountered.

Please tell me what you think?

And thanks for reading!


	8. 6A: New Faces, Suspicions… and a Crush?

**Title: **Loyalties from the Side without Light

**Warning/s: **Yaoi (need I say more?), characters are pretty much out of it (yep, they're really OOC in here, it is in an AU after all), crack pair ahead, very, very slight violence and gore (Sorry, the sadist in me won the argument), a bit of language (I'm not really one to curse…much)

**Disclaimer: ** I disclaim. The characters I used here belong to their respective creator and I own nothing aside from the crazy plot of this tiny fanfic I wrote (or typed for the matter).

x-o000o-x

**Thank You Corner!**

_~Lavender Rose of Faith_: Oh no, you don't have to worry 'bout this she person, the countess's role is completely insignificant. She's just a random noble mentioned for the introduction of Ryuga's character. Hunter, Hunter's boss and that other 'he' related to the big bad boss are those who you should worry about.

x-o000o-x

**Chapter 6: **New Faces, Suspicions… and a Crush? (Part 1)

The green-haired male walked aimlessly towards nowhere in particular, alone, earning him a good lot of weird looks from the other servants in the mansion. He couldn't blame them though, after all, he was almost never seen without his sire beside him, in fact, even he himself was not used walking without Dashan by his side. But something was troubling him and he didn't want to give his sire any further distress by making him worry about his problems, Dashan already have his hands full, what with the young noble planning out his next actions carefully, not to mention the added headache brought by two _children_ namely Ryuga and Gingka who would argue every moment they get. So instead of talking to his sire to ease his troubles like Kyoya usually does, the young assassin opted instead to talk to Nile…before he remembered that Nile was out running an errand for Ryuga.

"Stupid Ryuga, acting as if Nile was still working for him." the young assassin mumbled his complaint, deciding to forget his troubles through his so called option number two—visiting the horses.

With a long sigh, the green haired man turned to walk towards the direction of the stable. When he finally arrived at his destination, Kyoya was surprised to find one of the mansion's newly employed workers, Chris— whom Kyoya only conversed with once, which is when they got introduce to each other— feeding the horses.

The blond was indeed a hard worker, that much Kyoya could tell, as a matter of fact, Dashan even commented that Chris was the only one, aside from Nile, that is, who was not useless and Kyoya couldn't agree more— the other new servants, to put it mildly, were just plain disasters.

Focusing his attention back to the eighteen year old, the young assassin watched in mild amusement as the slightly older blond tried to feed the pure black steed, Kyoya's steed, the horse from hell.

"C'mon Blackie, eat!" Chris exclaimed in exasperation, forcing the horse to eat by shoving the bundle of hay near the animal's mouth as the proud horse seemed to ignore him.

Kyoya sweat dropped, sensing his horse's rising temper.

"Hey, I said eat!" The blond nearly yelled while still trying to force the steed to eat. Chris was honestly getting frustrated with 'Blackie', not realizing that the four legged mammal was getting annoyed with him.

Kyoya's sweat drop doubled as his horse seemed to act uncomfortable in the presence of the blond, knowing that the little devil will end up hurting someone…again.

Chris finally reached the limit of his patience, "That's it!" The blond exclaimed. "I'll make you eat even if you don't want to!" He then moved to forcefully open the horse's mouth.

With widened alarmed eyes, the green-haired man tried to warn Chris. "Wait! Don't do that! He's going to…"

A loud neigh closely followed by a deafening pained yell.

"…bite your hand." Kyoya finished lamely, looking sympathetically at Chris. "Are you alright?" He asked, moving to crouch beside the shocked blond who had fallen to the ground. "Let me see your hand." Gently, the green haired male took Chris's hand, examining it carefully like a doctor would before finally assessing the extent of older male's injury, "It's not so bad."

Exasperation suddenly filled Chris's whole being, "It's not so bad?! How could you say such a thing when my poor hand hurts so much?"

"At least your hand isn't bleeding unlike that other guy whose hand bled a lot. I honestly thought we'd have to cut his hand off." The slightly younger male stated with a perfectly straight face, causing the blond to sweat drop.

"Blackie's one hell of a violent horse, isn't he?" Chris commented, half in awe and half in fear.

"He's called Reaper, not Blackie." Kyoya corrected, listening as Chris grumbled the words 'name sounds fitting for the damn horse', "And of course he's violent. He's _my_ horse." Kyoya added, a proud smirk gracing his lips as he emphasized the word 'my' as if it explains everything. "Just wash your hand with soap and water then put some disinfectant just to be sure. That'll do, I'm certain." The young assassin then stood up, grabbing a bundle of hay in the process.

Chris watched carefully as Kyoya approached the black horse, gapping as the demon horse turned angel-like in the presence of the green-haired man. The blond huffed, standing as he did so before walking to stand beside the assassin. "How'd you do that?" He asked, his tone filled with nothing but amazement.

"Do what?" Kyoya fired a question back, not quite taking his eyes off his horse.

"That!" Chris exclaimed pointing to the horse. "How is it that he's so calm now when moments ago he's about ready to bite my hand off?"

"Reaper detects your mood. If you're irritated, he gets irritated too." Kyoya explained while patting the horse's head "Why don't you try touching him again? This time stay calm."

"He wouldn't bite me again?" The blond asked warily, not entirely believing the other male's words.

"Maybe." Kyoya answered with an uncaring shrug.

"That's not helping." The blond whined, but tried to calm himself down while slowly reaching for the horse, surprised when the little devil stayed calm under his touch. Kyoya was right after all and Chris didn't even hesitate to voice such thought. "Wow! You're totally right! He does detect my moods." Excitement could be detected clearly from his voice as he looked over the other male.

"Of course I'm right." Kyoya said smugly, making Chris grin.

The two young men then fell into an easy conversation after that, talking about anything and everything, occasionally laughing together at some random comments and lame jokes. Kyoya briefly wondered why he never talked to the blond before when the other was obviously fun to talk to.

It was in the middle of said conversation that Kyoya noticed Chris staring at him, curious as to why the blond was looking at him intently, not to mention the fact that the older male had stopped talking.

"Chris?"

"Hmm?" The blond hummed absentmindedly.

"Chris!" Kyoya raised his voice, managing to bring the older male out of his stupor.

"Wha—What? Why?" Chris jumped up in surprise, looking around worriedly before turning his gaze back to the assassin, his blue eyes locking with Kyoya's equally blue orbs.

"Why are you staring at me?" Kyoya inquired, raising an elegant brow.

Chris remained silent for a good few seconds before his eyes widened comically, floundering for words before coming up with a lame answer. "Nothing!" then he added quickly, "I still need to wash the carriages! See you later!"

And with a flash, he was gone, leaving a confused Kyoya behind, because for all the green-haired male knew, the carriages had just been washed the day before.

x-o000o-x

Within the four walls of the library, Dashan stood near one of the huge glass window that was overlooking the stables. Behind him, Ryuga was talking about nonsense, or rather, complaining non-stop about him allowing Gingka to stay for an indefinite amount of time in the mansion, which of course, in Dashan's opinion was, well, nonsense. Because of such, the dark-haired noble decided to gladly tune out Ryuga's continuous blabbering, opting instead to watch Kyoya and his new servant, Chris, talk. Dashan, of course, couldn't hear what the two was talking about but he could clearly see that they were enjoying their conversation and when he saw the young assassin laugh at something Chris had said, the young noble resisted the sudden urge to break the tea cup in his hands.

Ryuga must have detected the sudden shift in his friend's mood for he stopped his blabbering, focusing all his attention to the other noble instead. Cautiously, the light-haired male stood up from the table he was currently seated, moving to stand beside Dashan. The moment his golden eyes caught sight of whatever was causing his friend to acquire his famous murderous state, Ryuga couldn't stop the smirk forming from his lips.

"Oh." Ryuga drawled in a light, teasing tone, "Someone's jealous."

"What?" Dashan asked, turning his head away from the scene in the stables to face Ryuga.

"Don't play dumb." Ryuga said, crossing his arms over his chest as his smirk transformed into a wide, knowing grin. "I know you and Kyoya are together _together._" Ryuga then raised his hand to silence his friend when he saw the other male open his mouth to protest. "And before you even try to deny it, I'll tell you now that you both act so obvious." The statement earned a raised eyebrow from Dashan and Ryuga shrugged before continuing his explanation. "Sure, the two of you act as if you're already together even before everything got real, you know, like holding hands and stuff so it's really hard to tell but those gestures seem way more meaningful now."

Dashan sighed, defeated. Ryuga's observation skills were really something and upon deducing that he could no longer deny it— not that he wanted to deny anything; he's quite proud to say that him and Kyoya were together, it's just that shouting it to the world would be suicide and could put Kyoya in grave danger, with his enemies out there and all—the young noble simply looked straight into Ryuga's eyes in utmost seriousness. "Don't tell anyone."

"Of course I wouldn't tell a single soul. I'm pretty certain you'll gladly have my head served in a platter if I do." Ryuga shuddered, that was actually scary. Shaking his head, Ryuga gestured towards the stables. "Now then, do tell me, are you jealous?"

"I'm one hell of a possessive bastard, you know that." Dashan stated flatly and Ryuga chuckled, that's probably the closest Dashan would come to admitting that he was indeed jealous. There was, however, no competition based from Ryuga's own observations, Kyoya's most definitely only interested—and by interested he meant totally head over heels in love—in the black haired noble, everyone else whom the green haired male ever interacted with was either an acquaintance, a friend or an enemy, but he wouldn't tell Dashan that. After all, it was quite fun and entertaining to see his friend getting riled up…but then again, Dashan probably knew that already and is really just possessive.

Ryuga smirked, "Heh, I didn't even know you'll admit you're that kind of person."

"What? Possessive?" Dashan questioned the other male with a smirk of his own.

"No. A bastard." Ryuga answered amused, before he turned completely serious. "Anyway, that Chris guy is the one who barged in here so late at night asking for a job, isn't he?"

"Yes, it's him," answered the noble "Why?"

"Nothing, I just thought it was weird." He eyed the blond talking animatedly with Kyoya. "Where did he say he came from again?"

"He said he's from some small village in the West." Dashan said, focusing his gaze to the pair by the stables. "Don't stress yourself over it. I had everyone new background checked, if that's what you want to know."

"Cautious as ever; you're pretty scary. Good thing I'm on your good side. I wouldn't want to face someone like you." Ryuga shook his head softly, "So what did you find out about him?"

"Well apparently, he's orphaned at a young age and doesn't have any other known family. Whoever or whatever orphanage took him in, no one knows." Dashan stated firmly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You're suspicious of him then?" Ryuga raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that why you decided to have this conversation in the first place?" Dashan asked.

"True." Ryuga shrugged, "With people like us who have enemies in every corner, it's natural to be suspicious of everything that breathes." He then sighed, "I'll even bet that you had Nile background checked as well."

"I did say everyone new, didn't I? Of course he's included." The dark-haired noble stated with a certain level of smugness in his voice, if only to tease Ryuga.

Ryuga pretended to cry, sniffing as he placed his hands over his chest in an overly dramatic manner. "You're so mean! You don't even trust me!"

"Well, you did say people like us are naturally suspicious of everything that breathes." Dashan stated with an uncaring shrug.

"That doesn't mean you have to include me, too!" The slightly older male whined earning an amused chuckle from the other occupant of the room. "But you know, Kyoya is really cute, which explains why you're jealous…I mean possessive." The light haired male quickly corrected after Dashan glared at him.

"Are you interested in Kyoya?" Dashan asked darkly, some evil aura seemed to form around him making Ryuga squeak.

"Stop it!" Ryuga exclaimed in alarm, backing off a bit. "Just so you know, I like someone else!" Golden eyes suddenly widened at the sudden slip. "Oh damn."

"Oh damn, indeed." And just like that, Dashan's whole face change from a something akin to a demon to an angel and Ryuga inwardly cursed as he saw the knowing smile Dashan had. He had been lead on by his friend…again.

"Manipulative bastard," Ryuga muttered, knowing full well that he had just confirmed whatever speculation Dashan had regarding the person he like.

"Why, thank you." Dashan's smile widened. "Now I suggest you behave or I'll tell."

"Whatever!" Ryuga pouted, heading for the door. "I'm pretty sure you would not let me hear the end of this so I'm going to the kitchen!" The white haired male said his goodbye and left.

Once Ryuga was out, Dashan turned his attention back out the window, noticing that Kyoya was alone once more, and as his mind gave a silent shout of 'finally' he decided to go and join the green-haired male at the stable.

x-o000o-x

Gingka was walking somewhere in the mansion, not quite paying attention to where he was going. It was three days already since he 'kind of' run away from his own home to hide from some random girl. The red-head was really grateful that in the end, Dashan agreed on letting him stay despite of the many protests and complaints from Ryuga.

"That guy really hates me, doesn't he? What did I ever do to him to make him hate me so much?" Gingka shook his head slightly, wondering why the other hating him bothered him so much. "Forget it! It's not like I care. I mean, sure it bothers me, but I don't care. No, I definitely don't care."

Being so lost in his own thoughts, Gingka failed to hear the sound of approaching footsteps, not even realizing that he was walking straight towards the owner the footsteps until it was too late. He bumped quite forcefully on said person making both of them stumble from the sudden impact. Rubbing his nose, the red-head opened his mouth to apologize but was cut off by the sound of an all too familiar snarl.

"Watch it, you idiot!" Ryuga snarled in anger, glaring at the teen he bumped into. "Pay attention to where you were going!"

Gingka flinched but quickly hid his reaction by glaring back at the taller male. "You're one to talk! It's not like you were paying attention to where you're going!"

Ryuga's eyes narrowed, his voice rising, "What made you say that?"

"Because if you're watching where you're going, you would've noticed me spacing out and would avoid colliding into me, moron!" Gingka shot back just as loudly.

Ryuga angrily grabbed the front of Gingka's shirt, pulling the smaller male, who turned his head away from his gaze in an intimidating manner. "Shut up or I'll—" Ryuga froze.

"Or you'll what?" Gingka asked, realizing that the other hadn't finished whatever threat he was going to throw at him, Ryuga's grip on his shirt kind of loosened too. Slowly and full of caution, Gingka moved to look at Ryuga and he froze as well. His face was only inches apart from Ryuga and the other male was looking at him…intensely? He was not really sure, though he was sure of how fast his heart was beating and he couldn't help but inwardly curse as he felt his face heat up.

Ryuga was not better off, he and the other male was so close, too close and that was not good. They actually stayed like that for three minutes, or was it actually three years? Ryuga couldn't seem to grasp the exact length of how long he and Gingka was in that position before he got all his bearings back and released the other male as if the red-head was on fire, looking away as he did so.

An awkward silence

"Uhm, I'm going to the kitchen and eat. Would you like to join me?" Ryuga asked softly as he rubbed the back of his neck, still not looking at Gingka. Suddenly Ryuga felt the urge to hit his head on the wall. Why, oh why did he say that?

"S-sure." Gingka said softly, as his amber eyes took in every single detail of the floor.

And as they headed for the kitchen, walking side by side, neither male commented on the number of times they caught the other staring discreetly nor did they say anything about how many instances their hands lightly brushed each other.

x-o000o-x

**A/N: **First of all, let me apologize for updating so late but it's smoldering here in where I live and the heat is making it hard for me to write something properly, let alone figure out how to put my ideas into words. (Even with all our cooling fans turned on, it's still hot). Hopefully, I'll be able to update the next chapter soon.

Anyway, part two of this one would also be light hearted and then it'll get serious again (at least that's what I've planned), so please tune in.

Do you guys smell another pairing coming up? (*giggles* I certainly do).

Lastly, I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes, I tried to look for all of them but my eyes hurt.

Please tell me how I did? *puppy eyes*

Thank you for reading!


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